


Get Lost In You

by OneMoreNight1996



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Cheerleader Betty Cooper, First Times, Smut, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, developing feelings, exploring sexually, north side/south side conflict
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-06-09 20:58:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 67,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19483900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneMoreNight1996/pseuds/OneMoreNight1996
Summary: Betty Cooper has always been the perfect girl next door that everyone thinks she is but when Veronica and Archie start dating and Veronica won't shut up about their sex life, Betty finds herself becoming curious. She decides to take matters into her own hands by approaching Southside Serpent Prince Jughead Jones.





	1. Chapter 1

Betty was sitting in a booth at Pop's with Veronica after their practice, both of them still wearing their cheerleading uniforms, and trying desperately to tune out her friends more vulgar words as she sipped on a milkshake. Ever since Veronica and Archie began dating a few months ago, Betty hadn't stopped hearing about Archie's skills in the bedroom. She loved them both, but right now she wanted to shove a burger in Veronica's mouth so that she would stop talking.

"And Betty, he does this thing with his tongue." She said and Betty sighed.

"V, I'm glad that you and Archie have a healthy sex life but I really don't need to know every detail." Betty said as she picked at the basket of fries sitting between them on the table. Veronica looked at her with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry B. You're right." She said. "So, did you hear that Kevin and Moose slept together?"

"Jesus, is everyone but me having sex in this town?" Betty asked causing Veronica to laugh slightly.

"Your mother would have a conniption if she ever heard you even say the word sex." She said and Betty rolled her eyes but didn't disagree with her. 

"My mother is insane." Betty said. "So, are they dating or was it just a hook up?"

"Apparently they're dating." Veronica told her.

"Well, good for them then. Kev deserves a good guy." She said and Veronica nodded.

"Agreed." She said before her phone chimed on the table next to her elbow. She picked it up and Betty knew by the smile that erupted on her face that it was Archie who was texting her. Veronica glanced up at her and Betty gave her a small smile.

"Go, I can walk home from here." She said and Veronica grinned as she snatched the bill off the table, ignoring the look Betty gave her as she skipped to the counter and paid it before coming back to Betty. She leaned over and hugged her before dropping a friendly kiss onto her cheek before leaving, the bell chiming her departure.

Betty leaned back into the booth and reached for the basket of fries to finish them off before she left. She continued sipping at the milkshake in front of her as she ate and her mind began wondering. As much as she tried to filter out Veronica's words, she found that they still made their way into her brain, and she had to admit that she was curious. She was a virgin, not that that would surprise anyone who knew her, and her mother had thrown such a taboo over it that she had even been to afraid to explore her own body, let alone allow someone else to do it, but the more Veronica talked about it the more she found herself wondering.

The way Veronica talked about it wasn't just lust, though that was obviously present, but she talked about the intimacy and closeness she felt with Archie afterwords as well. Betty knew that if she picked some random guy to sleep with that the intimacy and closeness wouldn't be present, but she still found herself wanting to try. A few weeks ago, after she couldn't get sex out of her mind, she had opened an incognito tab and searched for porn. She had put headphones in so her mother wouldn't hear anything and she had fallen into a rabbit hole, finding the content fascinating as she watched and she wanted to try it herself. She had even thought of the perfect person to proposition.

Jughead Jones was a south side serpent and she figured that he wouldn't turn her down if she asked and if he told anyone about it then they wouldn't believe him anyway so she felt safe that it wouldn't spread throughout the school like some interesting piece of gossip. As she finished up her food, the object of her thoughts came into the diner as if conjured by her imagination and moved to the other end of the diner to sit. She noticed that he was alone as he opened his laptop on the table as Pop brought him a coffee, seeming to already know what he wanted and she knew he frequented the diner a lot.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself before she stood and began to make her way to his booth. It was now or never. He noticed her approach when she was a few tables away and raised an eyebrow at her when she finally stopped at the end of his table. Their eyes met for a moment and she blew out the breath she was holding as she rested her hand on the back of the booth.

"Can I sit?" She asked softly. He looked her up and down for a moment and she was afraid he was going to reject her but finally he shrugged.

"If you want." He said. She slid into the booth across from him as he seemed to study her face. "So, what could Betty Cooper need from someone like me?"

"I have a proposition for you." She said plowing ahead. If she didn't say it now she knew that she never would. "I want you to have sex with me."

Jughead choked on the drink of coffee he had just taken and looked at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me." She said, looking at the table as her cheeks flamed. An awkward silence descended on the table and Betty wanted to run away and forget that this had ever happened but she couldn't get her body to comply with the thought leaving her frozen and waiting for him to say something. She heard him cough lightly and clear his throat causing her to glance at him before looking back at the table. 

"Why?" He asked and she looked at him.

"Why?" She asked confused and he raised his eyebrow again.

"Why do you want to...." He glanced around the diner. "do that with me?"

"Call it curiosity." She said.

"Perfect girl-next-door Betty Cooper is curious about sex? Since when?" He asked and she rolled her eyes at the smirk on his face.

"Since Veronica and Archie started going at it like rabbits and I have to hear about it constantly." She told him honestly.

"So you want to have sex because your friends are doing it." He stated. Betty shrugged.

"It's not just that. Sure it made me curious, but I also want to know what it's like for myself." She said and he studied her face. She sighed. "Look, my mother has a weird thing about sex, okay? She never talks about it. It's like she thinks that if she does, then something horrible is going to happen. I want to know what all the fuss is about, and I figured that you could help me."

"Why, because I'm a serpent?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Kind of." She told him honestly.

"You know, just because we wear this jacket, it doesn't make us sexually deviant or whatever the hell you northsiders think." He said and Betty sighed.

"I know that, but I figured that you wouldn't care if we were in a relationship or not. You're kind of aloof, so I pegged you for the type of guy that can have sex without feelings involved, which is what I want." She said. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Jughead looked at her for a long moment as if he was contemplating something. "Okay."

"Okay?" She asked.

"I'll do it." He said and their eyes met. "But if we do this, I don't want it to spread around."

"I don't spread gossip." She raised an eyebrow. "Especially about myself."

"Alright." He said. "Come by my place tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asked. "We have school."

"After school, Betty." He said and she rolled her eyes at herself. _Of course he meant after school._

"I'll be there." She said softly. 

She stood from the booth, noticing how his eyes seemed to trace her curves through the uniform, and she hastily retreated leaving the diner completely. She started her walk back to her house with thoughts flowing through her mind. She had literally just set up a hook up with Jughead Jones and she found herself wondering what she was supposed to wear to something like this. She almost pulled her phone out to text Veronica and ask but realized that doing that would bring more questions than she wanted to deal with.

She got home quickly, the thoughts distracting her from the walk and she made her way up to her room quickly and shut the door. She flipped the lock, disregarding her mother's rule about locked doors, before she spun to her underwear drawer to dig through it. Most of her underwear were like her clothes, pastel colors and pink, but at the bottom of her drawer she found a red bra and pantie set. She remembered that she had bought it for herself when Cheryl had organized a shopping trip for the vixens and Veronica had encouraged her to get them when she'd seen her looking.

She slammed the curtains shut so that no one would be able to accidently catch a glimpse of her before she stripped off completely and pulled on the set. It stood out starkly against her skin as she observed herself in the mirror and she found that she liked how it looked. She pulled her hair out of it's signature ponytail and let it fall around her shoulders and she smiled at her reflection. She looked different, powerful and she found that she really liked it. She wanted to break out of the box that everyone had put her in of the nice girl next door. She was still that girl in some aspects, but she felt like it didn't fit her completely. 

Around the same time that Archie and Veronica got together, Betty had taken a step back and reevaluated her life. She had been in love with Archie since the were kids, or she had thought she was, but when he got with Veronica she found that she hadn't really cared. At first she wasn't sure why, but as she thought harder about it she had realized that she was trying to fit into the box that she thought was hers. The boy and girl next door getting married and having a boatload of kids was the american dream, the one she thought she wanted, but she didn't.

Ever since she was a little kid, her mother had dressed her and Polly in soft pastel colors and worked to make them look perfect, and Betty tried to fit in that box for her mother. She had wanted to stay in that box when she was little but as she got older she began to realize that it didn't fit. Her mother had always been strict about their appearances, and Betty wanted to break out of her mother's ideals and figure things out for herself. That was one of the reasons that she wanted to have sex. Her mother was so uptight about virginity and remaining pure, but Betty just didn't see it as that big of an issue. If you had sex before marriage, she didn't believe that you were going to burn in hell for it and she wanted to satisfy her curiosity. She knew that some people would think it was slutty that she was going to sleep with someone that she wasn't in a relationship with but Betty had decided that she wasn't going to let other people's opinions make her choices for her anymore. She was going to do this because she wanted to.


	2. Chapter 2

Jughead was stunned by the proposition he'd gotten from Betty Cooper. Of all the girls in their town, he hadn't expected her to be the one to approach him for sex. He knew that her mother was uptight, especially about sex, seeing as the woman preached abstinence and published articles about it on the regular. He supposed growing up with someone like that would make you a bit rebellious but he hadn't expected it from a girl who wore pastels and never had a hair out of place. Betty Cooper certainly wasn't someone you'd suspect of rebellion.

Jughead himself wasn't the most experienced in sex, he wasn't a virgin but he wasn't a man whore either and had only ever slept with one person. He and Toni had ended up in bed together, ironically because they were curious, and they'd slept together a few times after that deeming it "practice", until Toni told him that she really preferred girls. He had respected her feelings and they hadn't been together after that, though they were still good friends, neither of them letting it make things awkward between them.

As of now he was sitting in class, one that he happened to share with Betty, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was wearing a dress today, a bit shorter than he was used to seeing her in, but that wasn't what caught his eye. Her hair was down, the waves cascading over her shoulders, and he was thoroughly distracted by it. He was so used to seeing her with her perfect ponytail but now that he saw her hair down he wanted to run his hands through it and hoped he would have the opportunity to do it later. 

They had been going to school together since they were kids and he'd never really thought about her in a sexual way but ever since she had left him in Pop's he couldn't get it out of his mind. He wasn't blind, she was beautiful, and he knew that she could have anyone she wanted but she had come to him. It made him feel almost proud that she deemed him worthy to touch her even though he knew that main reason she'd come to him had to do with the jacket he wore. 

He was brought out of his thoughts when Toni kicked him and he glared at her. She glanced at Betty before her eyes came back to his and she raised an eyebrow with a smirk and he rolled his eyes before focusing on the board in front of them. It didn't take long for a note to be sat on his desk and he sighed as he opened it.

_The north side princess? Really Jug?_

_Shut up Toni._

_Hey, I'm not judging. She's pretty, especially with her hair down, but if you get caught staring Andrews will probably kick your ass._

_They're not dating._

_Still. She's his best friend and you a Serpent. He won't like you giving her eyes._

Jughead rolled his eyes as he crumpled the note and shoved it into his bag. Toni shrugged when he looked at her before she focused back on the board but Jughead couldn't get the thought out of his head as his eyes went to Archie. He knew that Betty probably didn't tell him about their arrangement but he also knew that Toni was probably right, Archie would kick his ass if he found out, not that it was any of the guys business. He knew that Archie was protective of Betty and wasn't fond of the Serpents, like most northsiders, but he was sure that Betty wouldn't let him do anything. Hell Betty probably wouldn't even let him find out at all, so Jughead wasn't going to worry about something that probably wouldn't happen.

The bell ringing made him jump as his eyes had unconsciously drifted back to Betty. Her gaze rose as if she could feel someone staring and their as their eyes met, everything seemed to freeze for a moment as his face flushed red, before she broke the gaze and rushed out of the room. Jughead shook himself and gathered his things before following everyone out of the room, Toni falling into step beside him.

"So, Betty Cooper huh? Developing a crush?" She asked with a smirk and Jughead rolled his eyes as he glanced around before shoving her into a closet. Toni used her phone to light up the room as she stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to tell you something that you can't tell anyone else." He said making her look even more intrigued.

"Ooh, _juicy_." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone." He said.

"I promise." She said meeting his eyes. "You know you can trust me."

"Okay." He said, blowing out a deep breath. "Betty Cooper propositioned me."

" _For sex?_ " Toni's voice went high with surprise.

"Yeah." He confirmed.

"And you agreed?" She asked incredulously.

"I did." He said, looking at her. "And now I can't get it out of my head. She just so fucking attractive."

"This is great." Toni said, bursting into laughter. "You can't focus on class because you're _picturing her naked_. Welcome to being a teenager. You're _finally_ just like the rest of us."

"This isn't funny!" He exclaimed and Toni snorted.

"It really is." She said before her laughter trailed off as she studied his face. "So are you going to do it? Sleep with her?"

"Yeah." He said. Toni nodded.

"Alright then you really shouldn't let Andrews know. He won't just kick your ass, he'll kill you." She said and Jughead rolled his eyes.

"It's not his business." He said and Toni rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure that he's going to share your sentiment." She said.

"Betty isn't going to just let him do something stupid." He assured her.

"You better hope she won't." She said with a shrug. "Anyway, we need to get to class. Try to stay focused, I don't want to have to give you _all_ my notes."

"Shut up."

They left the closet and rushed down the empty hallway, making it into the classroom just in time for the bell to ring, and Jughead caught Betty's gaze going between them as a furrow appeared between her brows. For some reason he felt the need to explain but he shook the thought off and took his seat, which happened to be directly behind Betty, and he could smell her perfume when she shifted in her seat. God must be laughing at him as he tried in vain to focus on anything else, and his eyes fell on Toni, who was definitely laughing at him. 

Betty was taking notes in front of him as she ran her hand through her hair and shook it out, wafting her scent even more, and Jughead clenched his hand around his pencil. This close to her, he could see that the dress rode up a little when she sat, revealing quite a lot of her thighs. It was almost inappropriate how much of her skin was showing and he found himself wondering if she wore the outfit on purpose as his eye got caught on her legs. He wanted to touch her but knew that it would be completely inappropriate in class. He was so caught up in his staring that he didn't realize that the teacher was passing things out until Betty turned to him with a stack of papers in her hand, effectively catching him staring, and she raised an eyebrow as his eyes flickered up to hers.

Jughead cleared his throat and took the papers. Betty turned back around to face the board but not before he caught the slight smile on her face and she spent the rest of the class distracting him, but this time he knew that it was intentional. Ever so often, she would flick her hair to the side and bite her lip or run her pencil over them under the guise of thinking, and Jughead found himself wanting to ravish her with no regard for anyone else in the room. This time when the bell rang, Jughead almost didn't even notice, until Betty started packing things up. After she had everything, she turned to look at him, freezing him in the spot as she smiled at him.

"I'll see you later?" She said, a teasing tone under the words.

"Definitely." He said.

She left him in the room as she joined her friends in the hall and Jughead found himself with Toni once again. He spent the rest of the day in a lust filled haze until the final bell rang and he made his way outside to his motorcycle. He let the sound of the motorcycle and the wind blowing on his face clear his thoughts as he drove home so when he finally got inside the trailer, he was clearheaded enough to clean up things a little bit, until a knock came at the door. He pulled it open to reveal Betty, and he invited her in.


	3. Chapter 3

Betty stood in the living room with her hands clasped in front of her as she rocked back and forth on her feet looking desperately for something to break the awkward silence between them until Jughead cleared his throat bringing her attention to him fully.

"So, I have some ground rules." He said and she nodded.

"Okay." She said. He stared at her for a moment.

"I know that you said you don't gossip but I'd rather that you kept this between us." He said. "I don't want Andrews to have a reason to have a problem with me."

"I'm not going to tell Archie." She said. rolling her eyes. "This is none of his business. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

"Okay then." He said. "The second thing is the most important so I need you to listen to me."

"I'm listening." She assured him and he studied her for a moment before he nodded.

"If, at any point during this you want to stop, tell me. The moment you say stop, we won't go any further. Do you understand?" He asked and she nodded.

"I understand." She said before adding. "I have a rule as well."

"Hit me." He said and she gave him a serious look.

"Don't leave a mark where people could see it. I don't want to have to explain it to my mother." She said and he nodded.

"Got it." He said. They stayed in place, just staring at each other and Betty cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So, how do we do this?" She asked. Jughead looked at her for a long moment before he moved toward her. She watched him closely as he stopped in front of her and he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, making her let out a soft gasp of surprise, before he leaned down and kissed her. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she let herself fall into the kiss. His lips were soft against hers and she pressed herself against him and he ran his tongue over her lip. She opened her mouth slightly, allowing him to slip his tongue into hers, and she made a soft sound of surprise as he lifted her off her feet and moved her to the kitchen counter. The height of the counter made it easier for them to continue their kiss as it made them closer to the same height, preventing him from having to bend over for her. 

She wrapped her legs around his waist, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing against her inner thighs, and slipped her hands under his shirt. He was more muscular than she had expected as she ran her hands along the ridges of his muscles. She found his V line and began running her fingers along it as he nibbled along her lips with his teeth. He pulled back from her slightly and pulled the beanie off his head to lay it on the counter beside them before shrugging off the jacket he was wearing and placing it next to the beanie.

She pulled him back in again, running her hands through his hair now that it was visible, and she felt his hands against the skin of her thighs. He was rubbing circles along her inner thigh and it made her squirm as it sent tingles directly to her core. He pulled her to the edge of the counter and placed an arm around her to lift her again, this time making his way down the hall to the bedroom. She had to admit that she found it totally sexy that he could carry her around with ease before he dropped her on to the bed. She bounced slightly before he crawled over her and used his hands to pull the dress over her head and drop it beside the bed.

She watched as he took in her form and the blood red underwear that she had put on, and she saw the heat in his eyes as he dragged them over her. He kissed her again, pressing their bodies together, and she shoved her hands under his shirt again. She pulled it up his body and he broke the kiss to allow her to pull it off before he began trailing kisses down her body. He laid kisses along her body, pressing them into her skin, until he got to the top of her panties which he skipped over. 

She kept her eyes on him as he pressed kisses to her legs, moving up slowly as he pushed her thighs apart and placed kisses on each side as he moved higher and higher, until he stopped. His hands pressed into her hips and his eyes flicked up to hers and his hands moved to her panties.

"Is this okay?" He asked softly and she nodded.

"Yeah." She said, and he almost didn't recognize her own voice as it had gone low and breathy. He had barely touched her and she already felt ready to unravel just from watching him. 

He pealed her panties off and dropped them next to the bed, into the rapidly growing pile of clothes. She had never been this bare in front of anyone but she couldn't bring herself to be embarrassed as she watched his face as he took her in. She began breathing heavily when he pushed her thighs apart again and adjusted himself between them. He placed his hands high up on her thighs as he scooted across the bed a little before he looked up at her. Their eyes were locked as he ran his tongue across her for the first time as she gasped softly. 

He broke their gaze a few moments later, giving his full attention to what he was doing, and she got lost in the sensations running through her. Her toes were curled in pleasure and she had the sheets clenched in her hands as the pleasure rolled over her. His tongue swirled over her and her breath came in heavy pants, until he began sucking gently on her clit. A soft moan rolled out of her as she felt the pressure building behind her belly button and she sucked her lip into her mouth, her teeth pressing into it as the orgasm crashed over her. 

She saw stars as the waves of pleasure rolled through her and her muscles jumped as she rode the sensation to the end. After she got her breath back, she opened her eyes, not having realized that she'd closed them, and saw Jughead watching her. She grabbed him and brought him down for a kiss and she could taste herself on his lips, instead of finding it gross like she had thought she would, she thought it was hot as she ran her tongue around his mouth.

He pulled back slightly and unsnapped her bra, letting it join the pile of clothes on the floor, before shoving off his own jeans and boxers leaving them both completely naked. He touched her face, forcing her to look at him, and gave her a serious look.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked. 

"I'm sure." She said. He studied her for a moment and she kept eye contact to let him know that she was serious.

He nodded, seemingly accepting her words, before he kissed her again and she felt him pressing against her entrance moments before he pushed into her. She gasped and dug her fingers into his arms as the stretch of his entrance stung slightly. She put her hand on his chest as he pushed in fully.

"Wait." She breathed out and he stopped moving immediately as he looked at her.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked, and she felt him start to move away. She grabbed him roughly to keep him in place.

"No,no,no. Don't stop, just wait." She clarified and he nodded, keeping completely still as she allowed her body to adjust to the new sensation. She wiggled her hips slightly, making sure that she was okay as the pain subsided and she gave him a nod. "Okay, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded again.

"I'm ready, keep going." She said.

He began moving again, his hips rolling forward slowly as if he was waiting for her to protest again, until he seemed to realize that she was fine. He began moving quicker, jerking his hips forward into hers and moans began falling from her lips. She began lifting her hips to meet him as they moved together and she felt his hand slid up her side until her ran his fingers over her nipples. He rolled her nipples between his fingers as his hips slammed into hers, the sound of their skin slapping together echoing around the room, soon drowned out by the moans floating from her lips. 

He kissed her roughly, their teeth clanking together slightly, as he pushed into her. Their skin quickly became slicked with sweat as they moved together, her hands buried deep into his hair, until she felt that delicious pressure building again. Her breath came in harsh gasps that he smothered with his own lips, nibbling on her lips until the orgasm came over her again and she felt his hips stutter as she clenched around him. He slammed into her to the hilt before he made a soft sound that was almost a moan, as he held himself above her. He leaned his forehead into hers as they caught their breath, each of them sucking in deep breaths, before he pulled out of her and fell down on the bed next to her. 

They stayed next to each other, staring at the ceiling, as the sweat cooled on their skin. Neither of them spoke for a long time as the took in what they'd just done together. It was nothing like Betty was expecting but that almost made it better. Jughead cleared his throat next to her and she glanced at him to see his eyes already on her.

"You know, if you wanted to....explore other things, I'd be willing to help you out." He said and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Explore other _sex_ things?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said.

"You barely know me. What if I'm _really_ kinky? You really want to sign yourself up for that?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I'm willing to try anything once." He said and despite the situation, and them still being completely naked, it made her laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind."


	4. Chapter 4

After Betty left, Jughead got cleaned up and made his way to the Whyte Wyrm where he was met with a smirk from Toni, who was standing behind the bar. He rolled his eyes as he made his way over to sit on a stool ion front of her. Sweet Pea and Fangs were in the corner of the room playing pool together and a few of the other Serpents were scattered around the bar but no one was sitting very close to them.

"So, did she actually show up?" Toni asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, she did." He said.

"Did you actually have sex with the north side princess?" Toni asked and Jughead gave her a look, glancing around to make sure that no one was paying attention to them. Toni raised her hands in surrender. "I'm not judging, I'm just surprised I guess."

"Why?" Jughead asked and Toni snorted.

"Betty Cooper." She said in a low voice. "She's not exactly the kind of girl you'd expect to have a one off with someone, or the kind of girl to have sex at all, if I'm being honest."

"It wasn't a one off." Jughead said without thinking and Toni looked at him in surprise.

"Jesus, is she your girlfriend now. It was supposed to be just sex, Jug." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"It is just sex but I told her that I could help her out if she wanted to explore other things." He told her and Toni smirked at him.

"So what, you're friends with benefits?" She asked. "Except, you know, not friends."

"I mean, I guess that is what we are." He said.

"Okay, Andrews is definitely going to kill you at some point, and I'm just going to sit by and say I told you so when he does." She said and Jughead rolled his eyes again.

"She's not going to tell him." He said before he raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, I don't know why you're so caught up in the fact that she's a northsider. I've seen you staring at Cheryl Blossom and she's more of a north side princess than Betty."

"Okay so maybe you have a point there, but unlike you, I haven't invited her into my bed." She said and Jughead gave her a look.

"The only reason you haven't made a move on her is that you don't know if she's into girls or not." He said and Toni rolled her eyes.

"That is..... _so true"_ Toni conceded before moving away from him to serve someone at the other end of the bar. Jughead stood from the stool and moved away to join Sweet Pea and Fangs at the pool table, and he noticed the pile of dollar bills at the edge and realized that they must have bet on the game. 

He watched as Fangs thoroughly destroyed Sweet Pea in a few moves and he shared a high five with him as he moved to collect the money while Sweet Pea sulked in the corner. They played a few more rounds together, not making any bets this time, before they grew bored and moved back to the bar to pester Toni into slipping them a few drinks free of charge. 

As Jughead sipped on his drink, he noticed his father coming through the doors and he quickly sat the drink on the bar when he saw him looking. His dad made his way over to them with a raised eyebrow and Jughead noticed Toni scooting off down the bar to serve someone else managing to avoid a lecture about underage drinking. When his father was done lecturing them, shaming Sweet Pea and Fangs in to shoving their drinks away as well, he motioned for Jughead to follow him. Jughead trailed behind him into the managers office and sat on the chair positioned in front of the desk.

"Is something wrong dad?" He asked and FP shook his head.

"No, I just haven't seen you in a few days. Wanted to check in." He said and Jughead raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine." He assured him. "I can handle a few days on my own while you're away."

"I know that boy, just wanted to make sure you hadn't gotten into any trouble." He said and Jughead shrugged.

"No trouble." He said before studying his father. FP looked tired, like he hadn't had a good nights sleep in a while, and Jughead found himself talking again. "So, how'd it go with you? Any trouble?"

"We were fine." FP said looking at him for a long moment. "We got everything we needed to supply our people."

"Is dealing drugs really the smartest thing right now?" Jughead said. "The north side is cracking down on it seriously heavy."

"We can handle the heat Jug." FP said, shaking his head. "We have to make money somehow, and you know the rules, we don't deal the heavy stuff. It's just weed, which should be legal anyway."

"But it isn't." Jughead said. "Not yet anyway."

"We're fine." FP assured him. "I made sure that they know to be more careful from now on."

"Okay." Jughead said, resigned to the fact that their money came from less that legal ventures. He stood from the chair and made his way to the door, pausing to look at his father before opening it.

"You gonna be at home tonight?" He asked and FP shrugged.

"Maybe." He said and Jughead nodded and left, knowing that he wasn't likely to get a better answer.

He sighed as he left the bar completely and made his way back to the trailer. He stripped down and fell into his bed, irrationally tired as if the conversation woith his father had sucked all of the energy out of him, and he just wanted to sleep. As he buried his face in his pillow, he could still smell a faint trace of the sweet perfume the Betty wore and he wanted to groan as images of her floated through his mind. He wasn't likely to get any sleep when he could still see her under him and could almost hear the sounds she'd made. 

He made an effort to shove all thoughts of her out of his mind as he flipped the pillow hoping to dispel her scent from it and he eventually got his mind to stop picturing her as he fell into a light slumber and he couldn't force the images away as they came to him again. He had a fitful night of sleep and woke frustrated the next morning and had to take a cold shower as the image of Betty Cooper writing underneath him seemed burned behind his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been brought to my attention that I screwed up with the morning after pill and in fact Betty would have no problem getting access to it because it can be purchased by anyone seventeen and over so therefore I have edited this chapter slightly. I'm sorry if this error upset anyone but I am fixing it. I didn't mean to spread false information about it and want people to know that it is a perfectly accessible option should you need it. Again, I apologize for the error.

The next day found Betty in the bedroom of Veronica Lodge, with music playing faintly from the radio in the corner, while her best friend tried on different dresses that she's ordered online and insisted she needed an opinion on. All Betty was really doing was saying yes or no but Veronica didn't seem to mind as she separated them into piles. Betty mind was on other things, namely the facet that Jughead had said he was open to the idea of having sex with her again and exploring whatever she wanted. Since he'd said that, her mind had been racing with possibilities, and she already knew a few things that she wanted to try. She figured that she should probably make a list at this point. Veronica seemed to realize that Betty wasn't actually paying attention because she spun around to look at her.

"What's wrong B? You've been really quiet." She said and Betty looked at her for a long moment, debating whether to tell her or not. Jughead had said he didn't want it to be spread around but she knew that Veronica wouldn't say anything if she asked her not to and she really needed to talk to someone about it.

"I had sex!" She blurted out. Veronica's eyes widened as she stared at Betty like she wasn't sure she'd actually heard what she thought she had.

"I'm sorry? You had sex? With who?" Veronica asked, the words leaving her mouth in quick succession and Betty sighed as she sat up on the bed.

"You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even Archie." Betty said. "Especially Archie."

"I promise. Cross my heart." Veronica said and Betty studied her for a moment.

"Jughead Jones." She said and Veronica's eyes went even wider.

"Really?" She asked and Betty nodded. "How the hell did that happen?"

"I approached him and asked him outright to do it." Betty admitted and that made Veronica laugh.

"You just went up to him and asked him to have sex with you?" She questioned and Betty shrugged.

"Yeah." She said and Veronica shook her head.

"Well that's one way to do it I guess." She said before she sat on the bed next to Betty. "So, tell me everything."

"Well, I mean, it hurt a little at first but then it was amazing. Nothing like I thought it would be." She said and Veronica grinned at her. "And he made sure to check in with me the whole time. It was kind of sweet actually."

"Well then, Veronica Lodge approves." Veronica said and Betty raised an eyebrow at her.

"You approve of my sexual partner?" She asked and Veronica nodded.

"Indeed." She said. "Now, important detail, tell me that you at least used protection."

"Oh my god." Betty said with wide eyes. She wanted to smack herself, how could they _forget about protection._ She knew for a fact that Jughead hadn't used a condom and she definitely wasn't on birth control. Veronica looked at her for a moment before she raised her hands.

"It's okay Betty, not a big deal, we'll get a morning after pill when we go out. It's fine, but you should probably get on birth control if you're going to keep sleeping with him." Veronica said and Betty blew out a breath.

"Okay, good." Betty said, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Wait, going out? Are we going somewhere?"

"Of course." She said. "You're having sex now, so you definitely need to buy some sexy lingerie. No offense B, but your underwear drawer is tragic."

"Spend a lot of time in my underwear drawer do you?" Betty asked sarcastically. Veronica rolled her eyes.

"You've changed in front of me enough times that I'm quite well acquainted with what you wear under your clothes." She said and Betty rolled her eyes. "Now come on, we've got shopping to do."

Veronica had Andre drive them to the mall before she sent him away saying that she'd text him when they were ready to be picked up. When he pulled out and the car disappeared down the road Veronica dragged Betty into the drugstore next to the mall, and Betty sweated the entire time they stood in the line just waiting for someone around them to realize what they were buying and say something but no one seemed to care or notice anything and they were soon leaving with the purchase in hand. Veronica popped the box open and handed her the pill inside along with a bottle of water and Betty downed it quickly before dropping the box in a nearby trash can.

After that they finally made their way inside the actual mall and Veronica pulled her toward a store with mannequins positioned in the windows in sexy underwear. Veronica seemed to know exactly where to go as Betty followed after her. They spent a few minutes looking at the items each picking out a few that they liked and going into a dressing room together. They were so comfortable with one another that they didn't mind stripping down to try on their choices. Betty noticed that most of the ones that Veronica had picked out were black with different designs but Betty had gone for a variety of colors. 

In the end she settled on three pairs that were her favorite and were approved by Veronica who said she looked like _a total sexual fantasy._ The first pair were a dark purple color, the second were a dark navy blue, and the third were a deep green color that made her eyes look even greener. The purple pair had overlain lace in an intricate pattern, the blue ones were simple with a little bow on the band of the panties, and the green ones had a wavy design around the legs that flattered her ass nicely. She absolutely loved them.

They purchased their picks before making their way to the food court to get lunch before Veronica called Andre to come back. As they sat down with their food, each of them getting a burger and fries, Veronica touched Betty's hand to get her attention. Betty glanced at her as she chewed on a fry.

"You can trust me not to tell Archie, B. I totally get why you don't want him to know." She said and Betty nodded. 

"I hate asking you to keep secrets from your boyfriend but you know how he is." She said and Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know. If he found out, he'd kill Jughead." She said. "This will be just between us."

"Thank you V. For all of it." Betty said and Veronica smiled.

"Anything for my best friend."


	6. Chapter 6

Jughead was walking down the hall, early to school thanks to Toni having to turn something in and forcing him to get out of bed because apparently 'misery loves company' and if she had to be up this early then so did he, when he was suddenly shoved into a room and the door was closed behind him. It took him a moment to realize that he was in the office of the Blue and Gold before his eyes landed on Betty, presumably the person who shoved him, and he raised an eyebrow at her causing her to blush and glance at her feet.

"Sorry for ambushing you, I just wanted to talk." She said and he shrugged.

"Okay, what about?" He asked and she took a breath before looking up to met his eyes.

"I want to take you up on your offer to...explore other things." She said, biting her lip and Jughead studied her for a long moment.

"Alright." He said simply, leaning against the desk next to them before asking her teasingly. "Any idea what you want to.... _explore?_ "

"Yeah, I have a list." She said and he laughed in surprise.

"A list?" He asked and she nodded, looking put out that he was laughing.

"Is that weird?" She asked.

"Kind of." He said, looking her up and down. "I really should have expected it though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, crossing her arms over her body. He held up his hands.

"I'm just saying that you're organized." He said. "You kind of strike me as someone who's a bit of a perfectionist."

"Not always." She said. "Anyway, it's a short list so it shouldn't take long to finish it."

"A short list? You disappoint me Cooper." He said, giving her a smirk and she rolled her eyes at him. "Do I get to see what's on the list?"

"No." She said, looking at him. "Not yet at least."

"When?" He asked.

"When I want you to." She said simply before she bit her lip and looked up at him. "And..."

"And?" He asked. She sighed before she seemed to straighten her shoulders and she looked up to meet his eyes.

"I don't want to push you but while we're doing this, I'd prefer if...." She trailed off for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I'd prefer if you didn't sleep with other people."

"Okay." He agreed with a shrug and her eyes widened.

"Really?" She asked. "You're going to agree just like that?"

"Yeah." He said with a shrug. "I told you, just because I'm a serpent doesn't mean I'm sexually deviant. I've only ever slept with two people."

"Seriously?" She asked and he laughed at the surprised look on her face. 

"Seriously." He said. "Now, about that list, you said it was short. If it won't take that long for us to finish it, then I'd like to at least see it." He said. She shrugged and stepped away from him toward the door.

"I'll show it to you, eventually. Maybe I'll even let you add to it, but I want to finish my part first." She said before a small smirk made it's way onto her lips. "And after we _finish_ it, we can _practice_ all of it."

"Practice?" He asked, his eyebrows raising and she nodded.

"You were right about me being a perfectionist, Jughead." She said. "And, as they say, practice makes perfect."

She spun toward the door as if she was going to leave and Jughead stepped toward her before the door came open, surprising both of them, and Archie Andrews stepped in. Jughead almost wanted to curse as Betty glanced at him with wide eyes, and Archie looked between them for a moment before his eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to Betty as if he expected Jughead to do something to her. Jughead saw Betty sigh and roll her eyes where Archie couldn't see her and it made him want to laugh.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Archie spat, but before Jughead could speak Betty stepped between them.

"I told him to meet me here, Arch." She said, bringing both of their gazes to her in surprise.

"Why?" Archie asked.

"I'm writing an editorial for the blue and gold on gang activity in Riverdale and I thought that I could talk to a few members and get their take on it." She said and Jughead had to admit, she was so quick with her lie that he almost believed it himself, as Archie glared at him.

"You should have told me. I would have come with you." Archie said, looking at Betty. "You shouldn't be alone with him."

"Seriously Arch? It's not a big deal." Betty said with a huff. "Jughead won't hurt me."

"He's a serpent!" Archie said.

"We're not in the business of hurting girls, Andrews." Jughead said casually. "Sorry to disrupt your vision of us _savage gang members_."

"Thank you for coming Jughead, but I think we're good. You can go." Betty said, turning to him. 

"Sure. See you later Cooper." Jughead said, winking at her just to irritate Archie before he left the room. He heard Archie begin to question her as he left and felt a little bad that she had to deal with him but he figured that she could handle Andrews on her own. They were friends so he knew that Archie wouldn't do anything but probably get on her nerves for a while.

More students were filling the halls now so he navigated around them to join Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni at the other end of the hall before they continued as a group to their classroom, all having the same homeroom, to claim their seats before everyone else arrived. The Serpents sat as a group near the back of the classroom sue to the fact that no one wanted to sit next to them. Ever since they wore their jackets to school, no one wanted to sit next to them, not wanting to look to sympathetic to the south side. 

Most of the north side kids that went to Riverdale High hated them and the ones that didn't preferred not to incur the wrath of the ones who did so most people avoided them on principle. I didn't bother any of them too much, given that it gave them more space away from all of the north side BS, but it was annoying when some of the jocks thought it was a good idea to start something with one of them. Most of the northsiders had a holier-than-thou attitude that irked on Jughead's nerves, Archie Andrews being one of them, but most of the time they could ignore it.

It was for this reason that he found Betty's proposition and general attitude toward him so strange. It was known that Archie was her best friend, so he had expected for her to share his views on the Serpents, but she didn't seem to care about it too much. He hadn't spent much time with her before she had approached him in Pop's so he hadn't really known her feelings on anything, but she hadn't said one bad thing about the Serpents. She had approached him because he was a Serpent, and he knew it was because she thought that he had sex more that he actually did because of that, but she hadn't said it in an insulting way. He knew that she hadn't meant anything by it.

He had expected her to hate the serpents, not just because of Archie, but because her mother took shots at them in the paper every chance she got and he figured that she probably spewed her hate at home too. He didn't know much about Betty but she seemed completely different from the other northsiders and he found himself intrigued by that. He was determined to figure her out and now he had the perfect opportunity to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

Betty was left in the room with Archie and she wanted to duct tape his mouth shut already. As soon as Jughead had left the room, Archie had launched into a lecture on the Serpents and their 'dangerous' tendencies. Archie had the mindset of a lot of people who lived on the north side but Betty had never really seen a reason for the attitude they had for the south side. She knew that the Serpents stayed mainly on the south side and she'd never seen a single one of them cause a problem purposely with someone from the north side but the attitude prevailed anyway. She knew that her mother promoted the conflict through articles that attacked the south side for practically anything that happened in the town even when they weren't involved. She also knew that the Serpents were dealers but she didn't think they sold hard drugs but she knew that everyone else thought they did.

"Seriously Betty, call me next time you plan to meet with a Serpent. Especially if it's Jughead Jones." Archie said, bringing Betty out of her thoughts.

"What's wrong with Jughead? He was a perfect gentleman to me." She said and Archie rolled his eyes.

" Have you seen his jacket? It's different than the others, which means he's probably high up in the gang. You know what they have to do to get high up, Betty, because I'm guessing that it isn't some nice task. He's dangerous!" Archie said and Betty sighed.

"Honestly Archie, what was he going to do? We're in a public place, I think people would notice if he did something to me." She said.

"You were here before school, no one else is around. He could have hurt you!" Archie exclaimed. "You should have called me!"

"I'm not a child!" Betty snapped, annoyed at the conversation. "I'm not that little girl that needs your protection anymore, Archie! I can take care of myself."

"Woah, what's going on in here?" Veronica's voice came from the door, distracting both of them as they turned to look at her.

"Betty's putting herself in danger for a stupid story." Archie said bringing Betty's gaze back to him, a glare firmly in place.

"I wasn't in any danger!" She exclaimed. Veronica's eyes flickered between them for a moment before she sighed.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I was talking to Jughead and Archie disapproves." Betty said sarcastically and she and Veronica shared a look before Veronica turned to Archie.

"I'm sure Betty was fine. She can handle herself Archikins." She said before holding up the bag she had in one hand and the drink carrier in the other. "In other news, I brought breakfast."

"Thanks V." Betty said, moving toward Veronica to accept the cup of hot chocolate and scone that she held out for her, leaving Archie standing next to the desk, still fuming. Betty and Veronica ignored him until he finally huffed and joined them, accepting the food from Veronica, but Betty knew that he wasn't over it and would likely bring it up again at some point.

It was always strange to her that Archie had such a negative attitude toward the Serpents because she knew that Fred didn't share the opinion of other northsiders but she figured spending so much time with the football team had ingrained the attitude into him despite that. She almost wanted to tell him exactly what she and Jughead had been talking about just to see his face but she knew that it would cause more problems and as annoyed as she was she didn't _actually_ want him to know.

She knew that in some aspects Archie still saw her as the little pig-tailed girl that he grew up with which meant that he felt like he had to protect her. He couldn't seem to grasp the fact that she didn't need him to take care of her anymore. They had been best friends their entire lives so she knew that it was hard for Archie to let go of that dynamic and for him to realize that she was capable of taking care of herself. She knew that his protectiveness came from a place of love and that he just wanted the best for her but it did annoy her when he treated her like a helpless little girl.

They left the Blue and Gold offices not long after that to make their way to class. Veronica sat next to Betty in their homeroom with Archie moving away from them to sit with Reggie. She could see Archie throw a glare at Jughead, who was sitting at the back of the room, and she rolled her eyes as she pulled out her notebook and focused on the board waiting for the teacher to start class. 

Veronica gave her a look, her eyes going from Archie to Jughead before coming back to hers, the question obvious on her face but Betty waved her away mouthing _Later_ before she began taking notes as the teacher finally began writing on the board. The class passed quickly leading straight into the next one, where she somehow ended up next to Toni Topaz, and she thought about what Jughead had said to her about only sleeping with two people, one obviously being her. 

She knew that Toni and Jughead were close, she saw them hanging out all the time, so she figured that she was the other person he'd slept with. She could be wrong but she didn't think she was. Betty hadn't noticed that she was staring until Toni looked at her with a raised eyebrow making Betty flush as she quickly looked back to the front of the room. She knew that it only made her look more guilty, even though she hadn't really been doing anything wrong, but she couldn't help it. Toni was probably wondering why the hell she was being so weird. Betty resolved not to look at the other girl for the rest of the time they were next to each other and she was so caught up in focusing on not glancing at her that the bell ringing startled her. A piece of paper landed on her desk, catching her attention while everyone else filtered out of the room.

_Don't worry Princess, I'm not interested in Jughead. I'm more into girls, which he's fully aware of._

Betty glanced up, the blush on her face again, to see Toni leaving the room. The other girl winked at her a moment before she disappeared out the door and Betty stuffed the note into her backpack along with her notebooks before following everyone else out of the classroom. She knew just from the note that Jughead must have told Toni about their arrangement but she couldn't bring herself to be angry about it, after all she'd told Veronica, and she knew that if he'd told her then he must trust her so it wasn't that big of a deal. 

Betty floated through the rest of her classes that day, so focused on paying attention that she didn't have time to really think about Jughead, Archie or any of the issues she was dealing with, leading her to cheerleading practice where Veronica cornered her in the locker room.

"So what was happening this morning?" She asked and Betty sighed and rolled her eyes and she tied the laces on her sneakers.

"I was talking to Jughead about...." Betty trailed off, glancing around at the other girls spread out in the room getting ready for practice. "About our arrangement and Archie came in as I was about to leave. He has a lot of opinions about the Southside Serpents, as you know, and he apparently decided that I needed him to protect me."

"So he doesn't know about the arrangement?" She asked and Betty shook her head.

"I told him that I was working on a story and that I had asked Jughead to meet me." She said, rolling her eyes. "You know if he knew the truth you would have walked in on something completely different."

"People in this town, I swear." Veronica said in exasperation. "I love Archie but this attitude toward the south side is exhausting. I mean, they've never done anything that I've seen but everyone acts like the Serpents have murdered their friends or something. I just don't get it."

"It's just the way things are around here. It's how they've always been." Betty shrugged. 

"Well I think it's stupid." Veronica said as she and Betty followed the others out of the locker room and into the gym to begin their stretching with Cheryl leading them through it. "Anyway, have you thought about what I said about birth control?"

"Yeah, I actually have an appointment at the clinic after practice." Betty told her.

"Good." Veronica said. 

After that they stopped talking as they focused on learning the new choreography for the pep rally that was coming up next weekend and halfway through practice Betty caught sight of Archie sitting on the bleachers, obviously having finished with football practice, and she saw Veronica wave at him before going back to the moves. The practice only lasted a little while longer, as they'd been working on it for over an hour, before Cheryl dismissed everyone calling for Betty and Veronica to stay. When everyone left the room Cheryl came over to them.

"Girls." She said and they glanced at each other.

"Cheryl." Betty said in the same tone.

"I feel like we haven't hung out in a while, just the three of us, so I've decided that we're going to meet at Pop's tomorrow after school." She said, glancing at Veronica. "No boyfriends allowed. Your beau will just have to entertain himself for an afternoon." 

"What if we were busy?" Betty asked and Cheryl shrugged.

"Whatever other plans you have, cancel them. We're having a girls night, even if I have to drag the two of you out screaming." She said and Veronica snorted, making Betty laugh.

"I think that would cause a bit of a scene Cheryl." She said and Cheryl shrugged again.

"I don't mind causing a scene." She said before meeting their eyes in turns. "Pop's tomorrow, be there."

She spun on her heal and strode away from them and Betty turned to Veronica with a shrug. She and Cheryl weren't the closest, had never really been, but when their familial connection was revealed like a bombshell dropping, they had each made an effort to be friendlier to each other so hanging out with her wasn't as weird as it used to be. Archie coming over to them brought Betty's attention back and she raised an eyebrow at him as Veronica wrapped her arms round him, almost daring him to say something, but he seemed to decide against it.

"Do you need a ride home Betty?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I drove today." She said before her eyes slid to Veronica. "I'll text you later?"

"Of course." She said before leaving the gym with Archie.


	8. Chapter 8

Jughead was sitting in detention tapping his pencil against the side of the desk as he watched the hand on the clock move at a seemingly glacial pace as the teacher overseeing it read a book at the desk. A few other kids were spread out at the other desks and he found himself wondering if they had actually done anything to end up here because he knew that he certainly hadn't. His teacher had accused him of disrupting the classroom because he'd leaned over to Toni to ask her a question and had given him detention but he hadn't fought back or protested because he didn't want to make it worse even as Toni rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath. He'd only been given this one detention so he wasn't going to complain knowing that it could have been worse.

When the timer on the teachers desk finally rang, releasing them from the classroom, Jughead left his seat quickly and bounded out the door before they found something else to punish him about. He was making his way down the hallway towards the parking lot, not really paying attention, when he ran into someone. He reached out to steady the other person reflexively and that's when he noticed who he'd run into. Betty looked at him, the surprise clear on her face, as she readjusted the dufflebag on her shoulder. It was clear that she'd just come from cheerleading practice as she was still in her practice uniform.

"Jesus Jughead, what the hell are you doing here?" She said.

"Detention." He said.

"Detention?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing." He said. "Mr. Samuels is a dick."

"He's never been anything but nice to me." She said and Jughead rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you're from the north side." He said and she sighed as she chewed on her lip as she stared at him for a long moment before she grabbed his wrist and began dragging him the opposite way down the hall.

"Come with me." She said as if he had a choice. For someone so small, she had a hell of a grip. They ended up in the Blue and Gold offices again and he watched as she dropped the bag from her shoulder to the floor and she seemed to glance around for a moment before she grabbed his wrist again and pulled him to a door in the corner of the room and opened the door before she pushed him inside. She joined him, closing the door behind her and plunging them into darkness.

"Betty, what are you doing?" He asked. He could feel her pressed against him in the small space as she ran her hands down his sides and he let out a shaky breath when he felt them stop at the front of his jeans. He felt her pop the button on his jeans and the zipper slide down before her hand was on him. He blew out a hard breath as she ran her hand along the length of him, leaning her body into him even more, before her lips touched his for a moment before she pulled back.

"I wanna try something." She whispered, her voice low and dark, before she dropped to her knees.

He almost jumped when he felt her tongue run along his length before she took him into her mouth. He almost thought that he'd fallen asleep in detention and this was all a dream but he knew that even he couldn't conjure the sensations flooding through him as she worked him over. The fact that he couldn't see her made the sensations all the more intense and he leaned back on the wall behind him to steady himself. He heard her make a sound of annoyance as she placed a hand against his hip, presumably to keep him in place, and her other hand came up to cup his balls. 

Soft moans fell from his lips without his consent as she continued and his head fell back against the wall. His hand threaded through her hair, keeping her in place for a moment as she took him fully into her mouth quickly making him realize that she didn't have a gag reflex at all, and he blew out a sharp breath. She quickened her movements, making the pressure just behind his belly button build, as his breathing quickened. She seemed to notice the change as she redoubled her efforts and his entire body tensed as he released, making him see stars, and he was thankful for the wall behind him. He felt a little bad about not warning her first but she didn't seem to mind as she pulled off him, tucking him back into his pants.

She stayed on her knees, making him scramble for his phone, the light flooding the room and making him blink for a moment before she came into focus. She was looking up at him, her doe like eyes wide and her lips swollen. She looked utterly debauched as she looked at him, her tongue coming out to lick her lips. _Jesus Christ,_ he wanted to pin her against to door and fuck her until she was calling his name. 

"Did I do good?" She asked, her voice rough from what she'd just done, and she sounded far to innocent to not know what she was doing to him. He dragged her up from the floor and pushed her against the door as he attacked her lips with his own. She returned the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck, and she made a soft sound in her throat. His hand slipped under her shirt as he trailed kisses down her neck, her breath heavy in his ear, before she surprised him by pushing him away just as his lips were attaching to her throat. He glanced at her and she raised an eyebrow. "No marks, remember."

"Sorry." He said before kissing her again. "So, is this on the list?"

"No." She said between kisses. "I was just curious what it was like. I've seen it so many times, I thought I'd try it."

"Miss Cooper, have you been watching porn?" He said teasingly as his thumb ran over her nipple over her bra and she arched into him. "I'm appalled."

"Shut up." She breathed out as she ran her lips along his neck, nipping the skin lightly with her teeth.

"What happened to no marks?" He asked and she smirked at him.

"You never said I couldn't leave marks on you." She said before she pressed her lips to his neck and began sucking a mark into his skin, sending tingles down his spine, before she pulled back seemingly admiring her work for a moment before she pushed him away from her."I have to go."

"Late for something?" He asked, attempting to pull her back into him but she resisted.

"Yeah actually." She said softly before pressing another kiss to his lips. "I'll see you later."

She disappeared out the door, leaving him in the small space alone, and Jughead blew out a breath as he leaned against the wall once again. He ran his hand through his hair, knocking his beanie askew, as he struggled to get control of himself. It took him a few minutes to calm down fully, something he blamed entirely on his teen hormones, before he was finally able to leave the closet and make his way to the parking lot. When he got outside, it seemed that he was the last person in the parking lot, his motorcycle standing out easily. 

He hopped on it and began the drive to the south side, his thoughts consumed by Betty Cooper and they way she had looked in that closet. She looked like the perfect north side princess which made it all the more frustrating how seductive she could be without even trying. She's certainly not the kind of girl that Jughead ever thought he'd find himself attracted to but somehow he was, her whole innocent facade only making him want to defile her even more. She now featured heavily in his fantasies, where before it had just been a faceless person, and he couldn't bring himself to be bothered about it because he knew that she'd let him act out his fantasies with her, which he wanted to do so much at this point. They'd only had full on sex once but already she had consumed him entirely but he couldn't bring himself to be mad about that. 


	9. Chapter 9

Betty was running late to meet Cheryl and Veronica at Pop's as she had dropped by her house to drop off her things so when she finally pushed through the doors of the diner, they'd already made themselves at home in a booth at the back corner. Betty hurriedly slipped into the booth with them and Cheryl raised an eyebrow, an unimpressed look on her face, as the waiter moved toward them and took their order.

"Where were you?" Veronica asked.

"I stopped at home to drop my things off." Betty explained. "You guys could have ridden with me, instead of having Archie drop you off, and we would have gotten here at the same time."

"Doesn't matter, you're here now and I'm in the mood for chaos." Cheryl said, a grin on her face. Betty and Veronica shared a look, nothing good ever happened when Cheryl uttered those words.

"What did you have in mind?" Betty asked cautiously.

"I want to go to the Whyte Wyrm." She said, leading them to stare at her.

"Are you serious Cheryl? They'd never let us in." Veronica said and Cheryl shrugged.

"Sure they will." She sounded sure of herself.

"Even if they did, that's where the Serpents stay." Betty said, trying to dissuade her.

"Oh please, they don't scare me." She said.

"This isn't a good idea." Veronica said, but they both knew that they'd never be able to convince Cheryl not to go. She was one of the most stubborn people that Betty had ever met, especially when she had her mind set on something, so she knew it was a lost cause. Before the day was out, they'd end up at the Wyrm.

The waiter brought their food out quickly, prompting them to eat. They finished their food quickly on account of Cheryl practically bouncing in her seat in excitement, making Betty nervous as they left Pop's as promptly as they had arrived and piled into her car. Cheryl pointed them toward the south side and Betty reluctantly agreed as she pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the road. The drive from Pop's to the Wyrm was spent in complete silence, the nervous energy in the car making Betty jumpy as she parked her car. 

Cheryl bounded out of the car and strutted toward the entrance like she owned the place with Betty and Veronica trailing behind her. The bouncer at the door raised an eyebrow at them and Betty expected to be turned away but instead he allowed them through without asking any questions. She and Veronica glanced at each other as they stepped into the dimly lit bar. There were Serpents dotted throughout the room, recognizable by their jackets, but no one seemed to pay that much attention ton them as Cheryl led them to the bar. To Betty's surprise, they found Toni behind it, who also raised an eyebrow at them.

"What brings you northsiders here?" She asked, her eyes lingering on Betty for a moment.

"I made them come." Cheryl said. "I wanted to see what the Whyte Wyrm was all about."

"I'm afraid it's not that interesting." Toni said. "Can I get you something? Non-alcoholic."

"Coke." Veronica said and Betty followed her lead, leaving Cheryl to pout at Toni.

"You really can't give us something stronger." She said, her voice simpering and flirtatious making Betty roll her eyes but Toni seemed amused by it.

"Sorry." She said with a grin. "I would, but I kind of like my job."

"Fine. Give me the same as them then." She said and Toni nodded before turning away to get their drinks. Betty definitely didn't miss the way Cheryl checked Toni out when she had her back turned and she smirked.

When they got their drinks Veronica steered them away from the bar and to a table with a view of the rest of the bar. Betty let her eyes wonder around the room, taking in all of it as she did, and she realized that it was nothing like she expected. The music played softly out of the speakers around the room and the people were sitting in pairs of groups just talking and everyone seemed happy. No one in the room looked that threatening, strengthening Betty's belief that the north side just attacked them because they could and not because they actually had reason for it.

She sighed and turned back to Cheryl and Veronica, a grin creeping onto her face as she saw Cheryl still distracted by Toni, and she leaned on the table to look at her. A glance at Veronica told Betty that she had noticed too and they shared a look before Betty cleared her throat. 

"You know a picture would last longer." She said and Cheryl's head swiveled toward her, a blush overtaking her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said.

"Really?" Veronica said, her eyes shining with laughter. "Because, you do realize that we can see you ogling."

"I was not ogling!" She protested.

"But really, you were." Betty said with a grin. "Wouldn't it be easier to ask her out, you know, instead of straining your eyes."

"Shut up." Cheryl said, the blush still on her face. "She just attractive."

"So...why not ask her out?" Veronica asked, repeating Betty's question.

"She's Toni Topaz." She said as if that explained it. 

"And?" Betty said.

"She's south side born and raised." Cheryl said. "The south side hates the north side as much as they hate them. She'd never go for me."

"You don't know that." Veronica said.

"Not all southsiders think that way." Betty added. Cheryl shrugged.

"If I asked her out and she said no, I'd never live it down. It would be humiliating." She said and Betty sighed.

"But what if she said yes?" She asked. "Don't you want to find out?"

"No!" Cheryl exclaimed. "I'd actually rather not."

"Okay." Veronica said placatingly. "We won't make you do anything you don't want to, but you should think about it."

"Fine." Cheryl said. "I'll think about it but no guarantee that I'll do it."

"Fair enough." Veronica said.

Betty became distracted after that because when she glanced back at the bar, she noticed that Jughead had joined Toni at the bar. He sat on a bar stool, a drink in front of him, as he talked to her and every so often they glanced their way. Betty wanted to shrink into the seat when she met Jughead's eyes and he raised a brow at her as they looked at each other. She could see Fangs and Sweet Pea next to him but he focus was solely on him.

She could hear Cheryl and Veronica still talking next to her but she wasn't paying attention to their conversation as Jughead stared at her and he smirked, making heat rush through her body. She cleared her throat.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." She said. Cheryl and Veronica acknowledged her words before going back to their conversation.

Betty left the booth quickly, her feet carrying her across the bar to where the bathrooms were marked, and she pushed open the door to enter. The bathroom didn't have stalls like she was expecting, with it being a single bathroom, and she turned to the sink and leaned on it. The door creaked open moments later, just like she had expected it to do, and she turned to face him as he flipped the lock. He stalked toward her, pressing her into the sink and trapping her with an arm on each side of her body.

"You're the last person I expected to see here." He said softly.

"Cheryl wanted to come." She said as she stared at him.

"Well, I'm glad she did." He said before pressing his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his as his hands left the sink to lan d on her hips.

He lifted her up onto it and she wrapped her legs around him, her skirt riding up her legs revealing more skin, and he moved his lips down her throat as he pushed his hands under her shirt. She felt his hands run along her sides and she whimpered as she pressed him against her harder with her legs, bringing his lips back to hers, as she ran her hands through his hair. He wasn't wearing his beanie for once, giving her full access to it and she was taking advantage of that.

His hands moved from her sides to her thighs and he pushed her skirt up higher, as his fingers ran along the edge of her panties before moving away for a moment as he pulled back from the kiss and met her eyes. She could see the question on his face and she nodded before bringing him back in. She felt him shoved her panties to the side before he pushed a finger into her and she sighed into his mouth, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

It didn't take him long to add a second finger and she felt him curling them inside her until he hit a spot that made and electric shock run through her spine and she pulled out of the kiss, a moan on her lips. He moved his arm around her and pulled her to the very edge of the sink, supporting most of her weight himself, as he seemed to concentrate on his movements. She pushed her hips into him as his fingers moved inside of her, biting her lip to muffled the sound of her moans, until she felt the pressure building behind her bellybutton.

Her breath came in pants and she gripped his shoulders tightly as the pressure built and she brought his lips down to hers as it finally released and pleasure crashed over her. She leaned into him as she came down from the high and she felt him pull his fingers out of her and rearrange her clothes. She took a few moments to catch her breath before she pushed him back slightly and slid down off the sink and she looked up at him as her feet landed on the floor. 

"That wasn't on my list." She said softly and he laughed.

"I'm eventually going to have to see this list of yours." He said.

"You will." She said, kissing him softly. "My friends will be wondering where I went."

"Go on then." He said, stepping away from her. "I wanna see the list the next time we're together."

She raised an eyebrow as she studied him for a moment. "Fine."


	10. Chapter 10

When Jughead had told Betty he wanted to see the list the next time they were together he hadn't expected her to show up at his trailer. He invited her in just like he had the first time but she seemed much more confident this time around as she pulled a notebook out of her bag and spun to meet his eyes and he found himself grateful that his father wasn't home at the moment. He'd hate to have to explain Betty's presence to him right now.

"What are you doing here?" He asked cautiously.

"You said you wanted to see my list the next time we were together." She said with a shrug as she thrust the notebook at him. He took it from her gingerly as they looked at each other.

"I assumed that I'd at least have a warning before seeing you again." He said. "It's not like we made a plan to meet up."

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No. Just pointing that out." He said before he finally looked down at the notebook in his hands. He glanced at her before he flipped it open and he realized that she was telling the truth, it was a small list with only four things on it.

  * _Bondage_
  * _Blindfolds_
  * _Handcuffs_
  * _Sex in the shower_



"It's a small list, like I said, but I think the first thing on it encompasses a fair bit of things." She said and he looked up at her. He closed the book and handed it back to her and she tucked it back into her bag before looking back up at him.

"Well, you're right that it's a small list and it won't take us that long to get through but I don't mind." He said grinning at her. "Like you said, the quicker we get through the list the quicker we can start _practicing_." 

"Exactly." She said, returning his grin. "Take your pick. We can start at the top or bottom, your choice." 

"I think we should work up to the top. The bottom of the list seems the simplest, although I've heard that it's harder than it looks." He said and she raised an eyebrow.

"Afraid you'll slip?" She said cheekily and he rolled his eyes.

"I'd hate to break something and have to explain to a doctor what happened." He said and she laughed softly.

"Maybe you have a point." She agreed before looking at him for a moment. "Lead the way then."

"What, now?" He asked and she shrugged.

"No time like the present." She said before raising an eyebrow. "Unless you have something better to do."

"I don't." He said quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down the narrow hallway behind him. She followed easily and he closed the bathroom door behind them with a soft click before flipping on the shower. He adjusted the water until it was the perfect temperature before turning back to her where she was leaned against the sink.

He moved toward her without speaking as he pulled her away from the sink and pressed his lips to hers. She sunk into the kiss easily, a sigh leaving her lips, as his hands tangled in her hair. He moved his hands down to pull the sweater over her head, prompting her to begin undressing as he did the same, leaving them both naked as the steam from the shower enveloped the room. He took a moment to admire her form, completely exposed to him, before kissing her again.

"You're beautiful." He breathed out as he pulled back. Heat crawled into her cheeks making them a pretty rose color and he smiled before pulling her into the shower. The water crashed over them making her shiver lightly and he drew her into him as she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him back into another kiss. They kissed for only a moment before she pulled back and looked at him with a smile, water droplets clinging to her eyelashes, and she laughed softly.

"Okay, so maybe you were right, this is harder than it looks." She said softly. "If we're not careful we may just end up drowning ourselves."

"I wouldn't let that happen." He said, grinning at her. "I'm sure at least one of us would move before we got to much water in our mouths."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "You are quite distracting. I might not even realize until it was too late."

"I'm sure you would." He said before he pushed her back into the shower wall, letting the water crash into his shoulders and run down his back. "But just in case, this position is probably safer."

"Probably." She said teasingly.

He pushed her wet hair back from her face and kissed her deeply. Her arms went around his neck, her hands clasping in the middle of his shoulders as she arched her body into him, and his arms went around her waist. His hands rested in the dip of her spine, pressing her further into him, and he felt himself getting hard where she was pressed against him.

Her hand left his shoulder and slipped between them, grasping him firmly as she began to work him up to full hardness and he made a fot sound in his throat as he nibbled on her lip. The water falling around them made everything slick so her hand was sliding easily down the length of him as she pulled out of the kiss and attached her lips to the side of his neck. Electric tingles flowed down his spine, coupling with the movements of her hand on him, and his breath went out of him in a rush as he bit his lip.

He pushed her hand away from him and quickly lifted her leg, hooking it over his hip as he lined himself up, before he pushed into her. Her teeth sank into his skin lightly, the slight pain spurring him on, as he slammed his hips forward. She pulled her mouth off of him as her breath came in puffs with each thrust and she held onto him tightly, her hands on his shoulders, as the water flowed around them. 

She let out a soft moan as they looked at each other, the sound of their skin slapping together echoing in the small space of the shower, and her teeth sank into her bottom lip. He reached up and pulled it free as their eyes met. She sighed out in pleasure, neither of them breaking eye contact as he moved in her, and he pushed her hair away from her face. He adjusted his posture slightly, moving her along with him, and she made a sound that let him know he was hitting the right spot so he slammed his hips forward in that position a few times and watching her face. 

Her eyes slipped closed as if she was trying to focus everything on the feel of it and he watched as her breathing went shallow. A few more thrusts and she clenched around him, a low moan falling from her lips, and he kissed her as he chased his own high. It only took a few more movements from him as she clenched around him and he followed her into ecstasy.

After they each took a moment to catch their breath, leaned against the wall to keep themselves upright, he pulled out of her gently and set her foot back on the floor. She kissed him softly and tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Help me wash my hair?" She asked softly. He nodded and pulled her fully into the spray of the shower before her took the shampoo of the counter and lathered it into her hair. 

Once both of them were fully clean they stepped out of the shower and Jughead handed her a towel. They dried off and redressed quietly before leaving the bathroom and she followed him into the living room, where they sat on the couch and Jughead flipped on the TV even though neither of them were actually watching it.

"You know, you're not at all what I expected." She said softly, drawing his attention to her fully.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he looked at her and she shrugged and bit her lip.

"It's just...." She trailed off as she looked up and met his eyes. "You're in a gang and I'm not stupid, I know that you guys probably do things that aren't strictly legal, but you aren't a bad person. None of you are."

"You know, a lot of that bad reputation that the Serpents have is just north side crap." He explained taking her hand in his. "We're not this horrible story of caution that everyone on that side of town thinks we are. Yeah, we're a gang, but the Serpents formed as a way to keep our community together not as some criminal operation. The Serpents give kids around here a place to go when they don't have anything else. We're not as bad as people want to believe."

"I think I get that now, a little bit at least." She said before sighing. "When I approached you that day, you should have told me to fuck off. You knew that I approached you because of who you were."

"I don't mind. It didn't turn out so bad." He grinned at her before getting serious again. "But you know better now, that's what counts. You see me for more than just the symbol I wear on my back."

"I do." She said seriously. 

"I'm glad you approached me that day." He admitted. "It gives you a chance to see the other side of the story. You've been told stories about the south side and the people who live here your entire life and now you have a chance to see the truth of it for yourself."

"Will you show me?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, I will."


	11. Chapter 11

Betty pulled on her uniform before slinging her backpack over her shoulder and making her way downstairs where she grabbed a granola bar from the counter and tossing a goodbye over her shoulder to her mother who was sipping coffee at the table. Veronica was waiting outside her house for her with Andre and Betty quickly hopped into the car and they were off to school. Veronica had her headband in her hair to match her uniform while Betty had her hair in her signature ponytail. They had a pep rally today which meant that they had to wear their uniforms to school, per Cheryl's instruction.

"So, how's it going with Jughead? We haven't talked in a few days." She asked and Betty shrugged.

"It's fine." She said noncommittally making Veronica look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine?" She asked and Betty shrugged.

"Yeah." She said.

"So you're not going to give me any details?" She asked and Betty glanced at Andre.

"Later." She said and Veronica shrugged after following her gaze.

"I'll hold you to that." She said. Betty bit her lip before sighing.

"He's just not what I expected, you know." She said and Veronica shifted in her seat to look at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked before smirking. "Is he well endowed."

"No!" Betty exclaimed. "I mean yes, but that's _not_ what I meant."

"Okay, what then?" Veronica asked.

"I know that he's a Serpent and everyone has their own preconceived notions about what that means but he's not like that." She said with a sigh. "He's a little rough around the edges but he's not a bad person."

"I never believed that anyway." Veronica said with a shrug. "Everyone on the north side say that they're horrible but I've never seen them actually do anything that bad. I mean sure, they might sell a little on the side, but who really cares about that. Everyone's gotta make money somehow."

"I wish Archie had that attitude." Betty said and Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Is he still on your case about that?" She asked. "Seriously, I told him to drop it B. You're a big girl, you can take care of yourself."

"I know that but Archie is always going to see me as someone that he needs to take care of." She said. "He means well but one day he's going to have to realize that I'm not helpless."

"What is his problem with the Serpents anyway?" Veronica asked. "As far as I can tell, Mr. Andrews doesn't share the views of the rest of the town. I just don't get why Archie is so hell bent against them."

"You're right. His dad doesn't have the same opinion as others and I know that he taught Archie differently, but Archie spends a lot of time with the football team who do have those opinions. I guess he's just absorbed it from them." Betty said with a shrug. "To my knowledge, he has no other personal reason to be against them. It's just like hive mind, the opinion of the mass becomes his."

"Well, in any case, I'll have another talk with him." She said, squeezing Betty's shoulder. "As far as he knows, the only association you have with the Serpents is that fake article you're writing, so I'll tell him to lay off on the lectures. Hell, even if he knew you were having sex with one of them, it's still none of his business."

"Thanks V, but I can handle Archie." Betty said.

The car finally stopped in the parking lot of the school and Andre moved from the driver's seat to open the back door for them. His face gave no indication that he'd heard anything they had said but Betty knew that he definitely had to have heard it. She shrugged figuring that it was safe for the Lodge's driver to know that she was sleeping with someone, who was he going to tell anyway, certainly not her mother so it wasn't a problem.

Veronica looped her arm with Betty's as they stepped into the school, pulling her along down the hallway, while everyone glance at them. They were all supposed to meet Cheryl in the gym for a small bit of practice to perfect any minor issues before the pep rally in a few hours. As they were making their way to the gym, Betty caught sight of the Serpents standing in a group close to the student lounge with Jughead in the middle of them and, as if he could feel her gaze, he glanced up. Their eyes caught for a moment before he gave her a once over. Her cheeks flamed at the smirk that dropped onto his lips and she nearly tripped over her own foot, causing Veronica to pause in her steps and help right her before they continued on.

Veronica leaned over to whisper. "Smooth, Betty."

"Shut up." Betty hissed, bumping her with her elbow while she laughed.

They made it to the gym without any further issue and Cheryl immediately put them to work on their stretches. She and Veronica sat next to each other to complete the task, following along with the sound of Cheryl's voice calling out the stretches and when to switch. Betty lifted her arms over her head in a stretch, causing her shirt to ride up slightly, revealing the light bruises on her hips. Veronica raised an eyebrow when she saw them but didn't comment until they finished stretching and stood from the floor to begin practicing the routine.

"Bit rough isn't he." She said and Betty shrugged.

"I don't mind." She said, a grin on her face. "A little pain makes it better sometimes." 

"If you say so." Veronica said with a laugh. 

"Archie never gets rough with you?" Betty asked curiously.

"No. He's actually really gentle." She said and they ran through the movements, both of them already perfect at the routine, not needing to give it their full attention to get it right. "You'd think someone as muscular and masculine as him would be rough but he isn't."

"Huh, I guess I get that." Betty said. "Despite his outward appearance, we all know that he's like a puppy underneath."

"True." Veronica said. "But still, I don't think he'd be much like a puppy dog if he found out about you and lover boy."

"Which is why he won't. Not until I want him to." Betty said. 

"I'm just saying, you might not want to let him see those." She said, gesturing to Betty's hips. "You know he'd never let it go until he found out the truth. He'd think that someone hurt you."

"I love him, but he is exhausting sometimes." Betty said, rolling her eyes. "He's eventually going to have to come to terms that I don't need a white knight. I mean he seems to realize that you don't need him to rush to your rescue. I wish he'd realize that about me as well."

"You two grew up together, it's different." Veronica said, as Cheryl finally stopped their practice, pulling only a few girls aside to finish working on their form. She was surprisingly patient with them, no longer the HBIC who would just yell and cut you from the team if you annoyed her. Cheryl had grown a lot since Sophomore year just like the rest of them. Veronica led her to the bleachers to sit. "He's seen you in every awkward stage of development and he remembers you as that little girl. The one that he stood up for when others would pick on you. He sees you as the sweet little girl who baked cookies for everyone and always had a smile, even for the mean kids who would say things about you, and he feels like he needs to protect you from all of that. He hasn't realized yet that you've grown into a strong young woman who can protect herself, but he will, eventually. I think he just needs time to adjust to that idea of you." 

"I hope you're right, that he'll realize it eventually, because I'm not sure how much longer I can handle him hovering around every time he thinks I'm in trouble." Betty said and Veronica shrugged.

"He's always going to be around, ready to help you when you need it, but I think he'll realize that you don't need him to protect you from everything. He'll learn that there's some things that you can handle on your own." She said. "It will take him a little while to come to terms with the fact that you don't need him as much as you used to but he will, I promise."

"If you say so." Betty said.

They spent the rest of the time before the pep rally in the locker room, putting finishing touches on their makeup and listening to the other girls gossip, until finally the other students piled into the gym. The principal gave what was supposed to be an inspirational speech before talking about the accomplishments of the school and the students and celebrating the award the school had been given for having and above average GPA compared to other schools. 

Other teachers come up to the podium and handed out special awards to the students who had the best grades or attendance, then finally the podium was taken away and they Vixens were introduced. They made their way to their places amidst cheers from the students and Betty plastered a smile on her face until finally the music came over the speakers. 

The routine began and they were moving around the floor, executing their movements precisely just as Cheryl wanted, and Betty caught sight of the Serpents once again. They weren't sitting in the bleachers with the other students, instead opting to lean against the wall to watch the performance, and Betty caught Jughead's eye once again. She gave him a smile as she spun around, waving the pom poms above her head, before tossing them to the side along with the other girls who slid to the sides still moving to the music. This part they hadn't practiced that morning, having perfected it at practice the day before, so Betty took a deep breath and made a running start.

The world spun around her as she flipped her body through the space, her hands and feet touching the floor briefly before propelling her back into the flips, until finally she landed on her feet and threw her hands into the air. The applause was deafening and Betty was glowing with happiness, the smile stretching across her face genuine, as the music ended. They had debated for days about who should do the big finale at the end of the number, the flips being slightly difficult to keep going, but it was finally decided that it would be Betty. Everyone had tried but Betty's background in gymnastics had given her a leg up on the others making her the obvious choice at the end of it and she was proud.

Veronica and Cheryl were on each side of her, their arms wrapped around her and matching smiles on their faces, as the applause continued in the background and they jumped up and down, squeals leaving their lips. 

"That was awesome." Veronica said. "You just kept flipping."

"You have no idea how much I practiced that." Betty said breathlessly.

"I'm so glad I picked you for that. It was just the big finish I was hoping for." Cheryl said.

"That was so fun." Betty said.

They finally left the floor, allowing the principle to once again take the mic, thanking them as they made their way to the locker room. All of the girls changed quickly into regular clothes, leaving just Cheryl, Veronica and Betty in the locker room alone. Betty took her hair down and began to run a brush through it as Cheryl and Veronica stood next to her touching up their makeup in the mirror. After she finished pulling the knots out of her hair, she sat the brush down on the sink and moved to her bag to get out her clothes and laid them out as she began to pull off the uniform.

"You should leave your hair down." Cheryl said and Betty glanced at her over her shoulder.

"What?" She asked. Cheryl shrugged.

"I saw that you wore it down the other day and I thought it looked nice then." She said. "You're pretty either way, but with your hair framing your face, you look amazing. You won't believe how many boys I saw checking you out when you had it down before."

"Checking me out?" Betty asked skeptically, her eyebrow raised.

"Oh definitely." Veronica said. "I noticed them too."

"Seriously?" Betty asked and Veronica shrugged.

"I've told you before B. You're a smoke show." She said, applying mascara to her lashes. Cheryl came over to Betty and ran her hand along the shirt she'd laid on the bench.

"I bet if you dressed a bit differently, you would turn heads. Then you'd notice how many people look at you." She said and Betty shrugged.

"If I dressed in the things you two do, my mother would have a conniption." Betty said. "You may never see me again because she'd lock me in my room like Rapunzel."

"You're so dramatic." Cheryl said, pulling the shirt off the bench. "I have an extra outfit in my locker, you know for emergencies. Try it on and if you don't like it then you can wear yours. Deal?"

"Fine." Betty said with a sigh, knowing that the two of them wouldn't let it go until she at least tried on the outfit. Cheryl clapped before moving toward her locker with a smile.

"You have an emergency outfit?" Veronica asked, turning away from the mirror to lean on the sink after she tucked her makeup back into her bag.

"Duh." Cheryl said. "What if I dropped something on my clothes. Am I just supposed to wear it all day?"

"Okay, whatever." Veronica said, rolling her eyes.

Betty took the clothes out of Cheryl's hands and began to pull them on, the bright red color making her look paler than she actually was, while Cheryl and Veronica stared at her. The shirt was bright red, Cheryl's signature color, a halter top made from a material that clung to Betty's figure. It had a low neckline, emphasizing her breast, making Betty fully aware of just how much skin was showing. Cheryl had paired it with a black faux leather skirt that was pleated and stopped at mid thigh. 

She stepped forward to look in the mirror, the image strange to her but not entirely unwanted. Since she was a little girl, she had worn pastel colors and soft pinks, and she likes those but this outfit made her realize that maybe she could expand her wardrobe a bit to include some more bold colors and outfits. Cheryl and Veronica stood on each side of her, seemingly waiting for her reaction, as she ran her hands along the material of the skirt.

"I like it." She said causing them both to grin.

"I knew it!" Cheryl said smugly before turning away to change herself. "You can return those later."

"Maybe this will help Archie realize that you're not the little girl next door anymore." Veronica said, leaning her chin on Betty's shoulder. 

"He'll probably just try to make me cover up by forcing his varsity jacket on me." She said with an eye roll and Veronica laughed.

"Boys can be stupid."


	12. Chapter 12

After the pep rally, they were sent back to class but Jughead and Toni both had free periods so they went to the student lounge. They were technically supposed to use their free period to study but as long as they didn't leave the school entirely or cause a disruption, the teachers didn't seem to care too much about it. He laid down on the couch while Toni sat on the chair and propped her feet up on the table while she munched on an apple that she'd snagged from the cafeteria.

"Your girlfriend was quite good today." She said and Jughead rolled his eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend." He said and Toni shrugged.

"So what is she then?" She asked.

"She's a friend, who I sometimes sleep with." He said.

"So she's your fuck buddy." Toni said.

"I hate that word. It sounds like I'm using her." He said, sitting up slightly to look at her.

"Aren't you?" She asked. "I mean it goes both ways, she's technically using you too. You two have sex, but you don't see each other outside of that, so you're not really friends either despite what you said. So, you aren't friends, you aren't dating, friends with benefits doesn't fit your situation, so what else would you call it?"

"I don't know Toni, but not that." He said with a sigh as he laid back down. "Fuck buddies makes it sound like it doesn't mean anything and that isn't true."

"Jesus, do you love her?" Toni asked, surprise in her voice.

"No." He said. "But it's different, okay. I can't explain it but it does mean something. She trusts me."

"Okay, I'm not going to say I understand but I get that it's important to you." She said. "I'll try not to refer to it that way anymore."

"Thanks Toni." He said.

They fell into silence again as Jughead cushioned his head with his hand, intent on getting a small nap in before his last class of the day. It seemed like only moments later when the bell rang and he sat up quickly and kicked the edge of the chair, where Toni had curled up and fallen asleep as well, her eyes popping open to glare at him. They both sat up and Jughead stretched his arms over his head, a yawn making it's way out, while Toni ran her fingers through her hair to release the knots that had formed as she slept.

They made their way into the hallway where the other students were mulling around and Jughead almost swallowed his tongue as his eyes swept over the hall before landing on Betty. So much of her skin was on display that his brain short circuited for a moment, even though he'd seen her completely bare before, something about they way the fabric clung to her form made him want to ravish her right there in front of everyone. An elbow to the side brought him back down to earth as Toni raised an eyebrow at him and he blew out a breath. He could handle this, it was just an outfit.

As they made their way down the hallway, now that he wasn't lost in staring at her he realized the other eyes on her. Boys who hadn't taken a second glance before were suddenly staring at her like she was the last glass of water in a desert. His stomach churned as his teeth ground together and his mind screamed at the other boys _Mine._ It was stupid because she wasn't his, not really, but he still wanted to drape his arm around her and glare at the others until they stopped looking at her. He knew if he did that, Archie would probably deck him, but he thought that maybe it would be worth it.

He hadn't realized that he'd stopped walking again until he felt Toni jerked him forward, getting his feet to move again. He finally managed to tear his eyes away from Betty but he was sure the scowl was still there because Toni rolled her eyes.

"Whatever stupid thing you're thinking of doing, _don't._ " She said, "Betty's a big girl, she can handle herself. She doesn't need you hovering around like a territorial dog." 

"They're all looking at her." He said, his voice dropped low.

"Yeah, she's hot. People are going to look, especially when she's wearing that, but she can handle it." Toni said.

"Fine." He snapped. 

They finally made it to their class, one which incidentally they shared with Betty herself, who somehow made it there right after them. She threw him a smile before taking her seat near the front of the room. Her hair was down again, the sun shining through the window making it practically glow, as she twirled it around her finger. Her other hand was tapping a pencil against the desk as she listened to the teacher explain the lesson for the day and Jughead couldn't take his eyes from her. 

He took notes as the teacher's words fluttered to him but he didn't look at the board, instead opting to watch Betty. She had a furrow between her brows as she copied down the notes, a look of concentration on her face, as she chewed on her bottom lip. He clenched the pencil in his hand as memories of the shower flooded back to him. She had a tendencies to bite her lip to muffle the sounds she would make and the image of her doing it in a totally mundane situation flipped a switch in his brain.

His breath went out of him in a sigh as the images flew behind his eyes, his concentration totally shot as he stared at her, and he finally dropped the pencil to the desk. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to push the images out of his mind, finally succeeding minutes later. He sucked in a breath and vowed to avoid looking at her for the rest of class. When he opened his eyes and glanced around, he found that no one seemed to notice his sudden onslaught of teenage hormones, everyone focused on the board. 

He used all of his restraint not to glance at her as he picked up his pencil and began to take notes again, though he was almost certain that he'd missed a good chunk of them, lost in thought as he had been. The minutes seemed to crawl by, mocking him and just tempting him to look at her again, but he resisted until the bell finally rang. He shoved his things into his bag and finally glanced up at Betty to find her already looking at him. She seemed to be waiting for the others to leave so he slowed down putting his things in his bag as the others filed out. Toni looked between them before shrugging and leaving the room without him.

Finally the room emptied of everyone apart from them and the teacher so Jughead stood and made his way to her desk. She smiled up at him before sliding out and slinging her bag over her shoulder and beckoning for him to follow her. The hallway outside was packed with students chattering and packing things into their lockers but no one seemed to be paying attention to them too caught up in their own world. Betty lead him to the Blue and Gold offices, closing the door behind him and flipping the lock. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged.

"I'm not kidnapping you." She said playfully. "I just figured that it would be best if people didn't come in and start asking questions again."

"Andrews still giving you a hard time about it?" He asked curiously. He knew that they were close, that he was her best friend, but for some reason Archie acted like he had something personal against the Serpents, Jughead in particular.

"He doesn't like the Serpents." She said, rolling her eyes. 

"He doesn't like me." Jughead corrected her.

"He thinks you did something really bad." She said, tapping her fingers along the desk.

"Why?" Jughead asked and she looked up at him, their eyes meeting, as she touched his jacket lightly.

"Your jacket is different from the others." She explained. "The snake is different and he thinks that means that you've done something worse that the others. That you're dangerous."

"I'm not." He said, clutching her hands in his, desperate for her to believe him. She smiled at him.

"I know that." She said softly. "I'm just telling you how Archie feels. Why he acts they way he does."

"Are you sure that it's not something else?" Jughead asked, rubbing his thumb on the back side of her hand. "It just seems personal, _especially_ when he saw me with you."

"It's nothing like that." Betty assured him, getting what he actually meant without him having to say it outright. "Archie and I have grown up together since the crib, we've always been close, but he's more like a brother than anything romantic. He has this idea in his head that he needs to protect me and he's decided that you're dangerous, so in his mind, you being around me can't be anything but bad news."

"I would never hurt you. You know that right?" He asked and she nodded.

"I know." She said, touching his face lightly before she kissed him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him, deepening the kiss for a moment before pulling back and letting her go. He touched the fabric of her shirt, pinching it between his fingers as he looked at her. 

"This is new." He said and she laughed softly.

"It's Cheryl's." She said and he nodded.

"I can see that." He said. "How did you end up wearing it?"

"Veronica and Cheryl think I need to step out of my comfort zone." She said with a small shrug and Jughead nodded again.

"You certainly got a lot of attention in it." He said, the emotion in his voice betraying him as she looked up at him with a smirk.

"Jealous?" she asked smugly and he rolled his eyes.

"Of course not." He said flippantly and she laughed softly.

"Sure, I'll pretend like I believe you." She said before she went on her tip toes to whisper in his ear. "But remember, you're the only one I let do dirty things to me."

She dropped back to her feet with a smirk and spun like she was going to leave the room but Jughead caught her arm, stopping her movement and swinging her back to him where he pulled her into him and kissed her roughly. He slid his hand into the back of her hair keeping her in place as he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth. He pushed her back into the wall, a soft thump sounding on impact but neither of them paid attention to it, as he pulled away and started trailing kisses down her neck. She pushed him back slightly and he glanced up to look at her. Her eyes were glazed over and her lips, bright and kiss swollen, as she looked at him.

"This is probably not the best place to continue this." She said.

"Right." He said, pulling away from her. The fog is his mind clearing slightly as he stepped away from her fully. "Anyway, I promised that I'd show you the south side through the eyes of someone who lives there."

"Yes, you did." She said with a smile before throwing her arm out towards the door. "Lead on."

Jughead grinned as he led her out of the room and into the now empty hallway. She followed behind him easily as they made their way to the parking lot where his bike stood proudly. She glanced at him and he grinned.

"Hop on." He said and she looked at him.

"Without a helmet?" She asked and he grabbed his own from the back of the bike and positioned it on her head. She reached up to touch it as he fastened the chin strap. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine Betty." He said slinging his leg over the seat and gesturing for her to climb on behind him.

"You know what you're doing right?" She asked and he rolled his eyes.

"I drive this thing every day. If I didn't know what I was doing, I probably would have killed myself by now." He said. She stared at him for a long second before she sighed and shrugged. She slid on behind him, her arms wrapping around him firmly, and he smiled as he pulled out of the parking lot. They got to the south side quickly, traffic surprisingly light for this time of day, and Betty climbed off the motorcycle a soon as it rolled to a stop in front of the Whyte Wyrm. Jughead expected her to look scared but instead she had a big smile on her face as she handed his helmet back and flatten her hair out with her hand.

"You've got to teach me how to drive that thing!" She exclaimed and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Maybe later." He said hesitantly.

"That was awesome." She said and he laughed.

"Alright, road runner, let's go." He said, pulling her toward the entrance. She pushed his hand off of her arm before tangling her fingers with his and when he glanced at her in question she just shrugged.

"Easier to keep track of me this way." She said and it was his turn to shrug as he led her deeper into the bar, stopping when they finally reached Toni already behind the bar with an apron slung around her waist. They sat at the bar, turning to face the room as she clung to his hand, and he leaned back against the counter top.

"Now, obviously you've been here before, but you haven't really experienced it." He said, sweeping his arm out. "These are the Serpents."

"All of them?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Most of them, the rest are family of the serpents who aren't actually part of the gang, but we take care of our own so they're included." He said, glancing at her. Her eyes were roaming the bar, never pausing on any one person for too long, instead just observing it all. "We come here to relax, hang out with our friends, this is our place where we can be ourselves without judgement."

"I think that's nice." Betty said quietly. "I don't think there's any where in the north side where you don't have to pretend to some degree."

"Not even at home?" He asked and Betty shrugged.

"At home I still have to pretend." She said sadly. "I have to pretend that Polly didn't abandon us, mostly because of my mother. I have to pretend like it isn't strange that my father is never there, or that my mom is the one who drove them away. I hate it."

"You never have to pretend with me, you know." He said softly, touching her hand. "If you want to scream or cry, you don't have to pretend that you're fine."

"I know." She said smiling at him but the sadness still in her eyes made him want to wipe it away so he got to his feet quickly and held his hand out for her. 

"Dance with me." He said and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"You're serious?" She asked. 

"Yeah." He said, not sure what came over him in that moment that made him think that dancing was a good idea but he wasn't going to back out now.

She smiled as she took his hand and he pulled her to the center of the bar where the dance floor was sat up. No one usually used it so everyone was surprised when he appeared in the middle of it with Betty and all eyes were on them but he wasn't going to let that stop him. She was smiling as he spun her around and the sadness had left her entirely, in that moment that was what mattered. He knew he'd catch hell from all of them later but the way she was looking at him with her eyes shining, laughing when he spun her around in circles, he couldn't bring himself to care.

He held her close as they spun around the room, the song picking up speed in the middle before slowing down again and he dipped her low, her hair flowing behind her, as he lifted her up again. They looked at each other for a long moment before he leaned down and kissed her, disregarding the people standing around observing them, and her arms went around his neck as she melted into him. When he pulled back, she smiled at him, prompting him to smile back. The song ended and Jughead led Betty from the floor back to the bar where Toni was waiting with water and a raised eyebrow, which he ignored, as Betty drank deeply.

She went back to observing the Serpents around the room, who now seemed curious about her as well due to Jughead being their Serpent Prince, but she didn't seem to mind the looks just giving them smiles as she continued observing. When Jughead pulled his eyes away from her for a moment he found Toni still staring at him.

 _Friends._ She mouthed, making air quotes with her fingers and he could hear the sarcasm without her needing to voice it. He rolled his eyes and promptly began ignoring her again. Suddenly the bar went quiet for a moment and Jughead knew exactly who had entered, making him want to hide Betty and pretend that she wasn't here, because he did not want to have to explain to his father what she was doing here.

His father broke through the crowd and made his way to the bar, his eyes landing on Jughead immediately before flickering to Betty at his side, and he made his way over. The other Serpents went back to their conversations but Jughead knew that they were still paying attention to his father. He stopped in front of them and Jughead noticed Betty glance at him, so he reached over to place his hand on her back reassuringly.

"Betty, this is my dad." He said, noting the surprise on her face. "Dad, this is--

"You're Alice Cooper's daughter." He said, interrupting Jughead. Betty glanced at him again and Jughead hoped with everything in him that his father wasn't about to confront her about her mothers articles in the register.

"Um, yes." Betty said hesitantly. His father nodded as he stared at her for a long moment.

"You look just like she did at your age." He said and Betty's brow furrowed.

"You knew my mother?" She asked and he laughed softly.

"We grew up together, right here in the south side." His father said. "In fact, she used to be a Serpent herself."

" _My_ mother?" Betty asked. "My mother was a Serpent?"

"Yep." His father said. "Then she married your father and became the perfect north side housewife. I never thought it suited her, I think she lost a part of herself when she married him."

"Dad!" Jughead exclaimed and his father shrugged. 

"Anyway, you're always welcome here Betty." He said. "You're family, even if your mother isn't one of us anymore. We take care of our own, even when they don't want it."

"Okay." Jughead said, pulling Betty from the bar stool. "We're gonna go now dad."

He led Betty out of the bar, ignoring the looks that they were getting, until the got outside and he spun to look at her. Betty leaned against the wall and her eyes were wide. Jughead touched her face lightly, running his thumb along her cheek.

"Are you okay?" He asked and Betty blew out a breath before nodding.

"I just don't get it." She said quietly. "If she's from the south side, if she was a serpent, why does she attack them so much. She knows who they are, she grew up with them."

"You know what they say, we hate the most in others what we don't like about ourselves." He said. "Maybe she's ashamed of it. I mean, she grew up here on the south side before marrying a northsider. You've heard they way they talk about people from the south side, I doubt they'd filter themselves just because she was from here too. Maybe it's armor against all of that."

"Maybe." Betty said with a sigh. 

"You'll never know if you don't talk to her about it." He said softly.

"Later." She said before meeting his eyes. "But I don't want to go home yet."

"Come back to mine." He said and she raised an eyebrow. "I don't mean for that. We can just talk if you want or watch TV."

"What if I want it to be for that though?" She said coyly. He grinned.

"I can work with that."


	13. Chapter 13

They got back to Jughead's trailer quickly and she shoved the bedroom door closed before turning to him and pulling him down for a kiss. His arms went around her waist, holding her close to him as they kissed, until she pushed him away slightly making him look at her. She chewed on her lip for a moment before blowing out a breath.

"I wanna try something." She said softly and he laughed lightly.

"You and trying things. It's certainly interesting." He said and she rolled her eyes before pushing him away from her fully and turning to grab her back pack, which she still had with her, to unzip it. Jughead was looking at her with curiosity on his face and she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Strip." She said and his eyebrow raised as he looked at her so she gave him a sweet smile before saying. "Please."

As she turned back to her bag she heard rustling behind her that indicated that he was complying with her demand and she smiled to herself as she dug through her bag, finally finding what she was looking for at the very bottom of it, before she turned back to him. He stood there completely bare looking as if he was waiting for her to tell him what to do next. She walked to him, shoving him onto the bed, where she kissed him deeply. He made a soft sound as he buried his hands in her hair until she pulled back from the kiss and gently removed them. She pushed his arms up over his head before looping the silky string she had gotten out of her bag as he stared up at her.

"When you said bondage, I imagined this situation reversed." He said softly as she tied his hands together, taking care to make sure that it wasn't too tight on his wrists but tight enough to prevent him from getting out of it. She smirked at him.

"Next time." She said, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before leaving the bed entirely. His eyes followed her as she moved around the room, shedding her clothes as she went, until she was naked as well. She snagged his serpents jacket from the back of the chair where he had put it and slipped it over her shoulders before spinning in a circle. "What do you think, does it suit me?"

"Definitely." He said, his voice pitched low. His eyes had darkened as he watched her and she approached the bed, crawling onto it and straddling his waist, settling herself just above his hips with the jacket still on her body. 

She leaned over and kissed him deeply, her hand cupping his face as she nibbled on his bottom lip, making him groan lightly. She shifted her hips ans ran herself along the length of him, already at full hardness, making his hips buck as he pulled on the restraints. She smiled into the kiss running her hands up his arms and interlocking their fingers. She kept her hips moving, dragging her body along his, until he made a frustrated sound. 

She pulled open a condom and rolled it onto him before she lined him up and sank down onto him. Their eyes met as she took him into her fully, a soft sigh falling from her lips as she paused for a moment, joined together as close as they could be. 

"God, you're beautiful." He said softly. She traced his lips with her thumb before kissing him once more.

As she rose back up from the kiss she began to rock her hips against him, the angle making him go deeper than he had before, and Betty moaned softly. The feel of him so deep inside her was slightly painful but not enough to make her stop but instead driving her to rock her hips faster and making the pleasure all the more satisfying. His hands were straining against the restraints and she knew he wanted to touch her.

She leaned over and attached her lips to his neck, sucking a mark into his skin and distracting him slightly. The change in angle made him hit a spot deep inside her that sent electric sparks through her body.

"Fuck." She breathed out, her mouth leaving his neck suddenly. He huffed out a soft laugh and she looked at him. "What?"

"You cursing." He breathed out. "It's just not something I hear everyday." 

"I'll have to remedy that." She said, moving back to her previous position. 

She rocked forward, her pace frantic as she chased the high, until she heard his breathing go ragged and she slowed her movements. She used all of her will power to keep her hips moving at a leisurely pace and he looked up at her. She kissed him roughly, their teeth clashing together, but neither of them paid it any mind as their bodies moved together. He made a sound in his throat that made her pull away as she met his eyes again, his hands pulling at the ties.

"Please." He said, his voice low and begging. "Please Betty."

"Please what?" She asked, her voice pitched low.

"Please let me touch you." He said and she smiled as she shook her head.

"I don't think so." She said.

The slow movements of her hips let her feel just how deep he was in her and with every movement, he ran over that spot deep inside her again making her breathing come in gasps as soft moans fell from her lips. She felt the pressure building low in her belly and with a few more passes over that spot pleasure rolled over her. Her hips stuttered in movements as the world went fuzzy round the edges and her ears began ringing. She could feel herself clenching around him and she heard him curse softly. 

She reached up without really registering and released the ties on his hands and suddenly he wrapped his arms around her waist and flipped them without separating them. She was still coming down from her orgasm when he slammed his hips forward into her, his movements fast and rough, until finally he froze buried deep inside her. They stayed like that for a moment both using the time to catch their breath and she could feel him softening inside her. He pulled out a few moments later ad kissed her softly before sliding off the bed.

"I'll be right back." He said as he turned and walked out of the room on shaky legs. She stared at the ceiling, the sweat cooling on her body, until he came back into the room and pulled her up into a sitting position. He smiled at her as he ran his hands along the jacket on her shoulders. "It really does look good on you." 

"Thanks." She said softly before sliding it off and tossing it to the side of the room where it landed on the chair she'd gotten it from. "I like it."

"I'm glad." He said with a smirk as he yanked the sheets from the bottom of the bed up to them and laid down next to her before pulling her into his arms. "It's kind of a staple of my wardrobe."

"I noticed." She laughed softly, her head resting on his chest as the sun set through the window behind them. She ran her hand along his arm before she grabbed his wrist and brought it up to her lips, placing a soft kiss on the red marks still visible on his skin. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"You didn't." He assured her as he ran his other hand through her hair. She glanced up at him and met his eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked and he laughed.

"I'm sure Betty." He said. "I'm fine."

She hummed softly at his words before running her hand along his arm again. She traced his serpent tattoo with her finger, her mind blank as she did so, until a thought came to her and she looked at him again.

"I should get a tattoo." She said and he looked at her in surprise.

"You want to get a tattoo?" He asked and she shrugged lightly.

"I've always liked the way they looked on people." She said, her fingers tracing his tattoo again as she chewed on her lip. "I think I'd like to have one."

"What would you even get?" He asked. Betty pondered the question for a moment.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "Something small maybe." 

"You should be sure before you get one." He said softly. "They're permanent after all."

"Did you think before getting yours?" She asked, her brow raised as she looked at him. He shrugged.

"It's part of being in the serpents. We all have them, it comes with the territory, so in a way I did think about it before I got it. Not the tattoo specifically but joining the gang, I did take time to think about it but it wasn't like I was going to say no. This gang, it's...." He trailed off as he looked at her and she gave him a smile of encouragement. "Well, you obviously already know that my dad is a part of it. It's like a rite of passage for people in the south side, something our parents were all a part of, so most of us don't think twice about it." 

"It's not what I expected." She admitted. "I mean, I knew that my mom exaggerated things a lot for her articles but I still...I don't know. I guess I still expected something else. Living on the north side it's hard not to absorb some of the things they say, even if you don't necessarily believe it, and it shapes how you think about things. When I first came to the south side with Veronica and Cheryl I expected something different, criminal maybe, but they're just people. They don't seem bad and I _know_ that you aren't bad. It's certainly different than what I was anticipating."

"That's why I wanted you to see it from my side not just what you'd been told." He said. "The serpents were formed to keep the family together. It's expanded since it was founded outside of just blood family but we're still family. People on the south side, we see what our friends and neighbors are going through, the hardships they face, and we just want to help. The serpents take care of their own. It may seem bad from the outside, I mean it's a gang, believe me we understand the bad press and misconceptions, but all we're trying to do is take care of one another." 

"I get that." She said softly. "Wanting to protect the people around you. It's honorable."

"I don't think I've ever been called honorable in my entire life." He said with a laugh, grinning at her. "I mean look at me taking advantage of a _northside princess._ "

"Shut up." She said, slapping his chest lightly but the smile on her face gave her away. "I'm serious. You're a good guy."

"Maybe." He said softly, her voice going serious as he looked at her. "But you know if your mother, or god forbid, Archie knew about this, it wouldn't end well."

"It's none of their business." She said with a sigh and he shrugged.

"No, but you know that wouldn't matter to them." He said. "They would actually believe that I was taking advantage of you and it wouldn't be a joke. Archie Andrews and Alice Cooper, they would just see some southside trash and they wouldn't take it well. They'll say I'm not good enough for you."

"Well they can fuck off then." She said, her voice harsh. She cupped his face in her hands. "I don't care what they say Jughead, I trust you. What I do with my body and who I choose to do it with has nothing to do with either of them. They don't get to have an opinion, especially about this."

"Are you sure? Because even though we aren't publicly advertising this, it could still get back to them somehow eventually and I don't want to cause any problems for you or for me." He said and Betty sat up, the sheets clutched to her chest.

"Do you want to stop?" She asked, her voice soft as she stared at him. "I mean, do you not want to do this with me anymore?"

"God, no. That's not what I'm saying." He said, sitting up next to her and placing his hands on her arms as their eyes met. "I'm saying that this could get messy if the wrong people found out about it, for both of us. I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing."

"I know what I'm doing." She assured him. "I'm not going to tell my mom or Archie about this. I know how they can both get, especially about the serpents, I'm not going to fan that flame."

"Okay." He said softly.

"Okay?" She asked and he nodded.

"I trust you." He said before he kissed her softly. "If you say you know what you're doing then I believe you."

"Good." She said with a smile before she kissed him again and he pushed her back down onto the bed gently, following her lips with his own as the sheets tangled around them. They would deal with those problems _if_ and when they arose but for now they let themselves get lost in each other again.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to update this a lot sooner but I got strep throat and something that felt akin to the plauge from my nephew and it laid me out for a while but the meds have finally kicked in so hope you guys enjoy.

His father still wasn't home when Jughead entered the kitchen the next morning and he was thankful for that because he didn't want to have to explain to him why Betty was still here. The night before she had still been confused and a little angry after finding out about her mother being a Serpent and hadn't really wanted to go home and face her yet so Jughead had told her that she could stay if she wanted without really thinking about it. Betty had texted her mother that she was staying at Veronica's that night then sent a text to Veronica to cover for her before she had promptly fallen asleep on his chest and he hadn't been able to move the rest of the night, eventually falling asleep himself.

When he'd woken this morning they'd been tangled around each other so much that it had taken him a solid ten minutes to untangle their limbs and slip out of the room. Betty was still sleeping and he figured that making some coffee and breakfast would be nice to do before she had to go home and face her mother. He was in the middle of stirring bacon in the pan when the front door creaked open and Toni slipped in. He stared at her in confusion for a moment wondering why the hell she was there so early before she snagged a piece of already cooked bacon from the plate and he smacked her hand lightly making her jerk back and glare at him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. She hopped up to sit on the counter next to him with a shrug.

"Just came to tell you that everyone's super curious about your girlfriend after that display last night." She said and he sighed.

"I told you, she's not my girlfriend." He said.

"Right. You're aware that that display last night was totally something a couple would do right?" She said smirking at him. "As far as everyone else is concerned you started dating a north side princess without any of us noticing. In their eyes she's your girlfriend so you might want to warn her about that before someone slips up and calls her that while you're together, you know, since you not actually _dating_."

"They're not saying anything else are they?" He asked cautiously. "I mean, they're not angry are they?"

"No, Jones, they aren't angry." She said, giving him a soft look. "You know us. The north side might hate all of us for fabricated bullshit reasons but we don't think the same way. We don't lump them all together and label them as bad. People trust your judgement so they know that if you're hanging out with her then she can't be a bad person, despite being Alice Cooper's daughter. They're just talking because they're curious, the way you two were together, the way she makes you smile, it's nice to see."

"Oh, well." He said, taking the bacon out of the pan and ducking his head to hide the blush on his cheeks before thinking of something to take the attention away from him and Betty. "At least now you know if you ever bring your north side princess to the Wyrm then the Serpents will likely be supportive."

"Jesus Christ Jug, I've never even spoken to her, I don't think I'll be bringing her home anytime soon." She said, her face flushing this time. "Plus, we don't even know if she's gay or bisexual."

"You really like her don't you?" Jughead asked, studying her face. "I've never seen you get this way about a girl before."

"She's just so beautiful." Toni said. "And I know that people have issues with her attitude but I can see that there is something underneath that tough exterior if I could just get through it."

"You should ask her out." Jughead said seriously. "I mean, if you like her so much, you should just go for it."

"Like I said, I don't know if she likes girls. I couldn't humiliate myself by asking if I didn't at least know that." Toni said before a sound come from the bedroom and her eyes went wide as Jughead whipped around suddenly. Toni whispered to him frantically. "Did she stay over?"

"Yeah." Jughead said. Toni was still staring at him in shock when Betty came down the hallway and into the kitchen wearing Jughead's shirt. She looked between them as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Jughead stepped toward her. "Good morning."

"Morning." She said, dropping a kiss on his cheek casually as she passed him to grab a cup of coffee which she took to the table and sat down. "Good morning to you too, Toni." 

"Good morning Betty." Toni replied, her eyes still wide as she stared at Betty.

"So." Betty said, clearing her throat lightly as she glanced over at the two of them. "Who were you guys talking about? The girl who you don't know is gay or not?"

"No one." Toni squeaked her face going even redder than before as she glared at Jughead. He felt a little bad, maybe he should have warned her that Betty was still here.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Betty said. "But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

"Cheryl Blossom." Jughead said before Toni could even open her mouth and she hit him in the arm. "Ow!"

"Could you shut up?!" She exclaimed. "You're so embarrassing."

"For the record, she is." Betty said quietly making both of them look at her.

"What?" Toni asked.

"Cheryl. She's a lesbian." Betty said. "I'm surprised you don't know. She came out last year and it was a big deal with her mom, who's slightly homophobic, but now she just chooses to ignore that Cheryl prefers the company of other girls as long as she doesn't have to see it. Cheryl's been openly out for a while."

"Oh." Toni said softly.

"See, now you have no reason not to ask her out." Jughead said earning a glare from Toni as he moved to sit the bacon and eggs on the center of the table and grabbed plates for all three of them as it seemed that Toni wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"You know if you want to get her attention, you should join the cheerleading team. She wouldn't be able to ignore you then." Betty said.

"Try outs ended weeks ago." Toni pointed out, hoping down from the counter and moving to sit at the table.

"I could talk to her, pull some strings." Betty said with a shrug. "She is my cousin after all." 

Toni choked on the coffee she'd been drinking and Jughead whipped his head to look at her before they spoke in unison. _"She is?"_

"Yeah." Betty laughed softly. "Everyone's always so surprised when they find out but it's true. Anyway, if you want I can text her later and set it up. All you've got to do to try out is a simple routine, which I can teach you, but only if you're interested."

"Okay." Toni agreed and Betty gave her a wide smile as she dug into the breakfast he'd made. It was quiet for a moment, only the sound of forks scrapping plates breaking up the silence, until Betty glanced at him.

"By the way, sorry about raiding your wardrobe." She said, pinching the fabric of the shirt between her fingers. "I couldn't find mine."

"It's fine." He said, smiling at her. "Looks better on you anyway."

"You two are gross this early in the morning." Toni complained. "I've never been assaulted with this level of cuteness so early before, I'll need to bleach my brain later to clean it."

"You and Cheryl would be a perfect match." Betty said, her voice deadpan before she turned back to Jughead. "Have you got anything to do today?"

"I gotta check in with my dad and then we were going to head down to the quarry with a few of the other serpents." He said, indicating himself and Toni.

"You could come if you wanted." Toni offered. "I'm sure the other's wouldn't mind."

"Are you sure?" Betty asked, looking at both of them as she chewed on her lip.

"Of course." Jughead said. "Toni's right. The other's aren't going to care and we're just hanging out, it's really not a big deal. Plus it'll give you more opportunity to see us without the film the north side puts over us."

"Okay then." Betty smiled at him. "I'm in."

* * *

They got to the quarry about an hour later and some of the other young serpents were already spread around, sitting on the ground in groups and talking, as Toni led them over to where Fangs and Sweet Pea were sitting. Jughead kept a grip on Betty's hand as they sat and Fangs and Toni started up a conversation that he wasn't following as he watched Betty's face. She was taking in the surroundings just as she had the night before at the Wyrm and she had a soft smile on her face as she listened to whatever Toni and Fangs were discussing. 

She seemed to enjoy being here with all of them which made him happy. He knew that she didn't share the same beliefs about the Serpents that most of the north side did but he also knew that some of the opinions had been subconsciously absorbed because she seemed genuinely surprised sometimes when he explained things to her and he was afraid that those latent beliefs would make her shy away from him but it hadn't. He was glad that she wasn't pulling away, that she wanted to know more about the south side and the Serpents. She was embracing all of it and he was glad because he actually liked her a lot.

"Right Jughead?" The sound of his name brought him out of his thoughts and he found all of them looking at him.

"What?" He asked and Toni raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"Are you even paying attention?" She asked, rolling her eyes. "We were talking about the running game we have of how many times we've gotten in trouble for nothing but the jacket we wear and Fangs is insisting that he has the highest score so far but I said that it was me. We figured you'd know since you're the official record keeper."

"Oh. Fangs actually does have the highest score." He said. "Remember he got arrested because the deputy was sure he was carrying drugs when he wasn't. Arrests are worth more than detentions."

"You've been arrested just for wearing a Serpent jacket?" Betty asked, the surprise in her voice and eyes clear.

"You have no idea." Toni said. "I'm pretty sure all of us have records at this point because of it."

"That's got to be illegal!" She exclaimed. 

"For sure, but whose going to do anything about it?" Fangs said. "No one cares."

"I do!" She insisted. "I'll write an article about it."

"I doubt your holy roller mother would print it." Sweet Pea said, addressing Betty for the first time in the conversation.

"Pea." Jughead said in warning, not liking the tone Sweet Pea was speaking in.

"What, you think I'm going to hurt her feelings?" He snapped. "I wouldn't get to used to having her around Jones. Sooner or later, she'll get bored of spending time on the south side and she'll turn on us just like her mother."

"I'm not my mother." Betty said, her voice low and angry as she stood from the floor.

"Maybe not, but you aren't too far off." He said, standing up as well and prompting everyone else to follow. "Everyone else can sit here and pretend like what I'm saying isn't the truth but I won't. I'm not going to give you material for whatever trashy article you end up writing to shit all over us."

"Okay, take it down Sweet Pea." Jughead said, putting himself slightly between them.

"She's going to walk away eventually. You're only ignoring that fact because you're fucking her and you don't want it to stop." He spat and Jughead moved toward him before Betty grabbed his arm tightly and shook her head.

"Sweet Pea, that's enough." Toni said firmly.

"I'm not my mother." Betty repeated quietly. "I know what she's done and what she's said but I'm not like her. You don't even know me, please don't judge me for _her_ actions. I'd never judge someone for the actions of their parents because I know that it has nothing to do with them, I just want that same courtesy."

"Pretty words, but I'm sure your mother had a lot of pretty words too before she screwed us over. Like I said, I'm not going to sit around while it happens again." Sweet Pea said. "Why are you even here? You aren't one of us."

"We invited her." Toni said.

"I'll go." Betty said and Jughead could hear the emotion in her voice without having to look at her. "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

She spun on her heal and began walking away from them.

"Why are you being such an ass Sweet Pea?" Toni asked as Jughead spun away from them and followed after Betty. He caught her arm and spun her back around to face him and he could see the tears in her eyes which made him want to deck Sweet Pea for hurting her feelings but he had more pressing issues at the moment.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she shrugged.

"He hates me." She said, glancing around them. "What if they all feel like that and they just haven't said anything? I can't be here Jug. I never should have come."

"Hey, don't do that. Don't let Sweet Pea's attitude get to you. He takes a while to warm up to anyone, let alone someone from the north side, you just got to prove to him that you're different and he'll get over it." Jughead said softly touching her face. "I'm glad that you came. Please stay."

"I can't Jug." She shook her head and removed his hand from her face. "Stay. I'll find my own way home, spend time with your friends."

"Betty." He said as she turned away from him again. "Please."

"I'll be fine." She said softly as she glanced over her shoulder at him. " _We're_ fine. I should just really get home, mom's probably worried."

"At least let me take you." He said as a compromise. He didn't want to just let her walk away after everything Sweet Pea had said to her. He wanted to cradled her in his arms and assure her that he didn't feel that way about her, to tell her he trusted her, but he could tell that she didn't want that right now. She just wanted to get away from them for a while. Toni appeared next to him.

"I'll take her home." She said and Betty sighed.

"Guys, I want you to stay and spend time with your friends." She said. "I'm fine, I just think it was maybe a bad idea to invite me here. I can make it home on my own."

"I'm sure you could, but you're my friend too so this is happening." Toni said. "Besides, you have to teach me that routine remember?"

"Fine." She said with a sigh and Toni bounced over to her side. Jughead sighed as he looked at Betty but she hadn't really looked at him in the last few minutes. He was surprised when she left Toni's side and came back to him. She pulled him down by his shirt and kissed him softly before stepping back slightly.

"We're good, Jug. I promise." She said so softly that he knew no one around them could hear. "I know that not everyone is going to like me and that's okay because you do. I'll see you later?"

"Definitely." He confirmed, kissing her again before letting her leave.

She and Toni weaved through the group as they made their way back to where they'd parked the bikes. He was relieved that Sweet Pea's words hadn't affected her too much and she was mostly already over it because he found that he didn't want her to disappear from his life. Maybe Toni had been right, they weren't just friends anymore. He wasn't sure what they were but it was more than that. 


	15. Chapter 15

Toni spent that weekend at Betty's learning the routine so she didn't talk to her mother about being a Serpent knowing that it would cause an argument. She resolved to talk to her about it at some point but for now she could let it go. Betty and Toni had spent the weekend in the backyard going over the routine multiple times in between snacks and just hanging out. When Monday rolled around Betty had managed to get Cheryl to agree to the late try out so she gave Toni a spare set of her practice clothes and the made their way to the school early to meet Cheryl and Veronica in the gym.

"You're gonna do great." Betty said as they walked down the hall.

"What if I utterly embarrass myself in front of her?" She asked. "She'll never want to talk to me again."

"Don't be so dramatic." Betty said, bumping her arm lightly. "You've got this. We've practiced all weekend."

"Oh god, I can't do this. She's gonna laugh at me." Toni said as they approached the doors of the gym and she glanced at Betty with wide eyes. "You know what, I changed my mind, I don't need to do this I can keep admiring her from afar."

"Oh no you don't." Betty said, clutching her arms as she tried to turn away and pushing her lightly toward the door. "Come on, it'll be fine."

She pushed the doors open and practically dragged Toni into the room. Cheryl and Veronica were waiting in the gym in their uniforms, which Betty was also wearing per Cheryl's orders to help promote school spirit, and Toni stared at them with wide eyes as they greeted Betty.

"So, you want to try out for the team?" Cheryl asked and Toni went bright red.

"Y-yeah." She stuttered and Betty had to press he lips together to keep from laughing at her. Toni was one of the toughest people she knew but in the face of Cheryl's full attention she almost looked like she wanted to disappear and pretend that this had never happened.

"Well, Betty tells me you're good. She said you'd be an asset to the team so let's see what you've got." Cheryl said spinning to the radio positioned on the floor behind her and hooked up her phone to it to play the music to go along with the routine while Toni looked at her with wide eyes.

"You'll do great." She repeated as she gave her a little push to the center of the gym before moving to stand next to Veronica.

The music started up a few seconds later and Betty gave Toni a thumbs up as she seemed to shake herself before finally beginning the dance. Her movements were executed perfectly as she moved through the routine and Betty could see that Cheryl and Veronica were impressed and she smiled. She'd known that Toni could do it but she had to admit that she was proud of the other girl for putting aside her massive crush on their captain and doing the routine with fervor. It wasn't that long of a routine and the music went off as it ended and Toni was breathing hard but she had a wide smile on her face so Betty knew that she was happy with her performance. Veronica and Cheryl clapped for her, each of them also with a smile on their face, before Cheryl stepped forward.

"Well that was amazing. I'm glad Betty convinced me to let you try out. Welcome to the team Toni." She moved to the edge of the gym where she grabbed a uniform out of a box and tossed it to Toni who caught it in her arms easily. "Suit up."

"Seriously?" Toni exclaimed. "You're letting me on the team?"

"Absolutely." Veronica said. "You were great, we'd be crazy not to let you join. We can all go to Pop's later to celebrate."

"I'd love that." Toni said. Betty showed her to the locker room and they all waited for her to get changed into the uniform before they heard the beginnings of people coming into school. Toni rejoined them outside the locker room and Betty grinned at her decked out in Riverdale colors. She'd never seen the other girl look so much like a northsider with her usually preferring to wear crop tops and ripped jeans but she looked good in the uniform.

As they made their way out into the hallway in a group Betty noticed a few people take second looks when they saw Toni next to her but she noticed that Toni was blatantly ignoring the looks as she subtly glanced out of the corner of her eye at Cheryl. Betty had put Toni between her and Cheryl on purpose hoping that she could push them together instead of watching Toni dance around the subject. She had seen the looks that Cheryl had given Toni during her try out and knew that she was at least a little interested. She thought that they'd make a cute couple and would maybe balance each other out.

Veronica shared a look with her from the other side of Cheryl and Betty knew that she'd noticed the looks between the other two as well. Veronica slowed her steps and grabbed Betty's arm until they were a few steps behind the other two allowing them to be relatively alone.

"So, Cheryl and Toni." Veronica said, quiet enough that no one else would hear her.

"They're cute, don't you think?" Betty asked casually and Veronica gave her a wide grin.

"Elizabeth Cooper, are you playing matchmaker?" She asked and Betty shrugged lightly.

"Maybe." She said coyly. "I just think they'd be great together." 

"If you say so." Veronica said as she glanced around. "Now, in other news, how are you and your serpent heartthrob?"

"We're fine, V." Betty said as they stopped at her locker. "He's kind of great. He always lets me try things I want without complaining."

" _Try things?_ " Veronica asked. "Like what?"

"You know, things in the bedroom." Betty said quietly, looking around to make sure that no one was listening. "Plus he's really nice. He took me to the Whyte Wyrm and we danced together and he's been showing me the south side through his eyes. It's not at all what I expected."

"B, do you like him?" She asked.

"Of course I like him. I wouldn't let him touch me if I didn't." Betty said, not looking at her.

"You know what I mean Betty, do you _like_ him?" She asked, touching Betty's arm and making her look at her. "Because it's okay if you do you know."

"Right, as if I could just come out and say it. I'd never be able to hang out with him publicly, you know what people would say, what _Archie_ would say." She said sadly and Veronica scoffed.

"Screw what other people have to say, it's none of their damn business anyway." Veronica said. "And Archie would just have to get over it."

"You know he'd try to start something." Betty said rolling her eyes.

"He's such a guy sometimes." Veronica said, rolling her eyes. "He's got so much testosterone that that cave man mentality comes out more than I'd like."

"He's mostly a puppy dog until something sets him off." Betty agreed. " _This_ would set him off."

"Ugh, we'll deal with it when it comes." Veronica said, waving her hand in front of her as if she could wave the thought away before she grinned at Betty and linked their arms. "Right now I want to hear more about this _trying things_ that you were talking about."

Betty blushed lightly before she began telling Veronica about everything, giving only surface details without going into to much detail, but it still had Veronica looking at her with wide eyes as she talked. Veronica had launched into a series of questions about all of it which Betty had answered happily, paying her back for all the times she had to listen to her talk about Archie. Veronica seemed entranced by the whole thing making Betty laugh quietly at her surprise when she had exclaimed _Who knew you were so kinky?_

They soon had to go their separate ways for class and Betty found herself walking into the classroom where Jughead and the other Serpents were already sat at the back, Toni sticking out like a sore thumb in her uniform, making Betty smile lightly. Sweet Pea seemed to be expressly avoiding looking at her as Fangs, Toni and Jughead greeted her. She waved back before taking her seat near the front and as she took her notebook out of her bag and placed it on the desk, Toni moved from the back of the room to sit next to her, looking the part of the perfect north side cheerleader. Betty gave her a smile when she shrugged lightly.

"Figured I might as well start spending time with the other cheerleaders, make some friends on the team." She said and Betty smiled.

"I thought we were already friends." She teased and Toni rolled her eyes.

"We are." She said before lowering her voice slightly as she leaned over to Betty's desk. "We can bond over the mutual trauma of seeing Jones completely naked."

"I don't find it that traumatic." She said with a soft blush and Toni shrugged.

"More power to you I guess. If I never have to see it again I'll be happy." She said with a grin and Betty laughed softly.

"Come on, he's not that bad to look at." She tried and Toni shrugged.

"Maybe not aesthetically but seriously, he's like family. When he and I slept together it was just curiosity not real attraction. We were young and desperate to find out what the hype was about but really I could go without seeing his naked body again for the rest of my life." Toni said and Betty shrugged.

"Fair enough." She said before the teacher called their attention to the board. 

After that they were too caught up in keeping up with the lecture and taking notes in their books to carry on a conversation. The teacher seemed to be trying to cram two full chapters into the hour long class so there wasn't time for them to even pause to take a breath between slides and Betty's hand was cramping by the end of the class from writing notes so quickly. She knew for sure that she'd have to go over them herself at home because she was almost certain that she hadn't retained any of the information she'd been given.

Once the class was finally over Betty shook out her hand as she shoved her notebook back into her bag while the students around her seemed to rush out the door as if afraid the teacher would make them take a few more notes if they stayed for very long leaving her and the Serpents to be the only ones left in the classroom after the rush and she sighed as she rolled her shoulders and slung her backpack over them. It was way to early in the morning to already be this tired. Toni waited for her by the door as she exchanged a look with Jughead who moved to meet her in between the desks. 

"Hey, I didn't see you all weekend." He said, stopping in front of her. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine Jug." She said softly. "I spent the weekend with Toni teaching her the routine for try outs."

He glanced at the door where she was standing. "Right. Looks like it went well."

"Yeah, she made the team. Obviously." She said with a shrug. He nodded and bit his lip as if he was debating something before he sighed.

"I just thought, you know, that maybe you didn't want to see me." He said quietly, meeting her eyes. "After everything that happened with Sweet Pea."

"No, Jug. Not at all." She said, glancing around to make sure that no one was around. She cupped his face in her hands and brought him down for a soft kiss. "I told you, we're good. I'm not going to let one person with a bad attitude mess with us okay?"

"Okay." He said with a soft smile.

"I'll see you later." She said before stepping away from him and moving to the door. She and Toni left the room quickly and made their way down the hall already having lost a couple of minutes between classes making them have to rush to their respective class rooms, conveniently across from one another.

The rest of her morning classes seemed to fly by giving way to the lunch hour. She met up with Veronica and they made their way to the cafeteria where Archie was already waiting at their usual table with his food already in front of him. Betty and Veronica joined him, each pulling out their own lunches that they'd brought from home. Veronica and Archie began a soft conversation next to her as she munched on a carrot stick and she found herself distracted by the Serpents at their table across the cafeteria. 

Toni was sitting Cheryl so she wasn't at the table with them but Betty saw Fangs and Sweet Pea among a few others that she didn't know the names of while Jughead was sitting on the table top as they talked. she could see that they were laughing at something and Jughead had a grin on his face as he listened to whatever conversation was happening before suddenly he seemed to sense her eyes on him because his flickered up, finding her immediately.

Their eyes locked from the across the room and she smiled at him. His eyes seemed to roam from her face down to the uniform she was wearing and back up again before he smirked. She knew that he loved her seeing her in the uniform and it made her go hot under the collar as his eyes darkened and she wanted nothing more in that moment than to march across the room and drag him out to have his way with her but her rational mind kept her from moving. She let her own eyes take a tour of his body from where she sat, the leather jacket hugging him like a second skin and the t-shirt pulled tight over his chest, leading down to the dark skinny jeans and combat boots before her eyes came to his face again and that smirk he wore that said he knew exactly what she was thinking of doing with him. He looked like every mothers worse nightmare and her own perfect wet dream.

"Betty." The sound of her name made her jerk her eyes away from him as she whipped around to look at Archie.

"Huh?" She uttered and he stared at her with his brow furrowed.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You're acting a bit strange and you weren't paying attention."

"Sorry Arch, I was distracted." She said. Veronica gave her a knowing look that told her that she knew exactly what had distracted her.

"You were staring at the Serpents." He said, glancing over at them. "Have they been bothering you? I told you that article was a bad idea!"

"Oh for god's sake Archie, they haven't bothered me." She said rolling her eyes. "They're not as bad as you seem to think."

"Archie seriously, we've talked about this." Veronica said sternly. "Betty can take care of herself and the Serpents have never done anything to make me think that they're dangerous. Drop it!" 

"They're drug dealers!" He exclaimed and Betty scoffed.

"So is Reggie Mantle but I don't see you talking shit about him!" Betty said. "Why is that Archie? Is it because he was born on the _right_ side of town?" She began throwing her food back into her pack and zipping it up before she stood from the table. "You know what, it doesn't even matter, it's not like you give a damn. You're always looking for reasons to put the Serpents down when you don't even know anything about them. They're not bad people."

"Betty, come on." She heard Archie said as she marched away from the table but she ignored it until he caught up with her and spun her around with a hand on her arm.

"Don't!" The word exploded out of her in her anger and she shoved him backwards away from her, jerking her arm from his grip. The word had come out louder than she'd meant it to which meant that the entire cafeteria had gone quiet and were now looking at them but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced around. 

"It's not good enough." She said glaring at him. "You need to realize that your attitude sucks. You can come talk to me once you've pulled your head out of your ass."

She spun without waiting for a response and left the cafeteria completely. She knew that everyone was surely going to be talking about what had happened, especially since they didn't actually know what it was about, hell not even Archie fully knew what it was about, but she was so angry with him that she couldn't bring herself to care. Her feet took her down the halls and into the Blue and Gold offices where she tossed her lunch bag on the table and practically fell down onto the couch in the corner. She threw her arm over her eyes and blew out a sigh.

She almost wanted to leave and write off the rest of the day but she knew she couldn't actually do that so she took a few minutes to do a few breathing exercises and clear her mind. Archie's refusal to treat her like a capable young woman instead of a child who needed his protection drove her crazy and his attitude toward the Serpents made her want to smack him until he began to listen to her. She knew that his attitude had been built up over years, on both fronts, and it wouldn't be easy for him to rewrite that programming but she wished that he'd at least try to. 

She was only alone in the office for a few minutes before she heard the door creak open and close again with a soft click and she found herself hoping that it wasn't Archie because she was sure that if they spoke anymore right now that they'd both end up saying things that they didn't mean.

"I thought I'd find you here." It was Jughead, because of course it was. She moved her arm off her face and looked at him. He was standing next to the desk looking at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just drama." She said, getting up from the couch. "We'll work it out. We always do."

"Can I ask what it was about?" He asked and she sighed.

"You." She said softly. "Or not really you, the Serpents. He treats me like a child, like he thinks I can't make decisions for myself."

"What do you mean?" He asked and she shrugged.

"That stupid article I said I was writing about the south side that I said you were a source for. He keeps telling me that it was stupid to pick that subject, that I'll get hurt." She sighed in frustration. "He doesn't even know anything about you or the other Serpents. All of his arguments are based on the opinions of others, who also don't know anything about you. I just wish he'd realize that I know what I'm doing and that not everything is what it seems."

"Maybe he will in time." Jughead said with a shrug.

"He's my best friend, he has been since we were kids, I just want him to be a little more open minded." She said softly. 

"I know." He said as he pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"I don't want to lose him but I can't deal with his attitude for much longer." She whispered into his chest.

"It's going to be okay." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You said it yourself, you always work things out. But hey, if you need to take your mind off of it for a while, let me take you somewhere after school."

"Where?" She asked, pulling back slightly to look at him, their arms still around each other.

"It's a surprise." He said with a smile. "But I think you'll like it, if you want to go."

"Okay." She agreed.

"Okay." He echoed before reaching behind him and pulling her lunch bag forward. "Now, finish your lunch. I know you must be starving."

They spent the rest of the lunch hour cuddled together on the couch as she ate her food, pausing occasionally to make out, before they parted ways with another kiss. Betty smiled as she put the bag into her locker before class, spending time with Jughead was rapidly becoming her favorite thing to do even without the sex and she couldn't wait to see what he had in mind for after school.


	16. Chapter 16

Jughead met Betty in the Blue and Gold offices again after their last class of the day and they waited for the other students to leave before they walked out of the school. He handed her the helmet when they came to a stop next to his bike and she slipped it on with a smile as she climbed on behind him. She was still in her cheerleading uniform and it rode up slightly when she sat behind him and he had to force himself not to focus on the exposed skin of her thighs as he started the bike. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her hands lightly on his abdomen as she did, making him extremely aware of the heat of her body pressed against him. He shook the thoughts off as he pulled out of the school parking lot and started toward the south side of town.

The drive only took a little over fifteen minutes before they were parked in front of a small book store that Jughead had spent quiet a lot of his time in as a child and as they climbed off the bike he could see her taking it in. He took her hand and led her into the shop and she smiled as she stopped at the first shelf they came across and began running her hands over the books, reading the titles as she went, before she smiled at him.

"This place is lovely Jug." She said softly.

"I spent a lot of time here as a child." He explained. "Toni's grandfather owns it."

"Really?" She asked, surprise in her voice and he smiled as he nodded.

"Yeah." He said before taking her hand once again and pulling her toward the back of the little store where there was a small area with a couch and a few comfortable chairs with books stacked around. "People come in here and read sometimes. Mr. Topaz always lets them stay for a while, he even gives them cookies because he knows that not everyone on the south side has a safe place to go all the time or food to eat."

"That's really nice." Betty said, moving toward the couch and the stack of books on the table. She picked up a book and read the summary on the back before sitting down and flipping it open on her lap. "Come join me."

"In a minute." He said quietly. "I'll be right back."

He left her on the couch with her book as he walked through the aisles to the back of the store where the register was. Mr. Topaz was sitting behind the counter reading a book but he placed it down when he caught sight of Jughead and a smiled split his face. 

"Hey Mr. Topaz." Jughead said.

"Jug. You haven't been around in a while son, I was beginning to worry." He said and Jughead ducked his head.

"Sorry, I've been a little distracted lately." He said as the older man looked at him with a sparkle in his eye.

"Oh yes, I noticed that girl with you. It's been the talk of the Serpents since you brought her to the Wyrm, even I heard about it." He said and Jughead flushed lightly.

"You're all a bunch of old gossips." He said and Mr. Topaz laughed.

"So, what's going on with you and her? Is it serious?" He asked a grandfatherly tone in his voice and Jughead shrugged lightly.

"I mean, not yet." He answered truthfully. "But it could be, eventually."

"You like her?" He asked.

"Yeah." Jughead said. "She's great."

"You do right by her son." Mr. Topaz said seriously. "If you really like this girl, treat her like she deserves."

"I intend to." He assured him. Mr. Topaz nodded before disappearing into the back of the shop behind the counter for a moment. He came back out with a wooden tray in his hands that had a teapot and two cups on it along with a plate of snickerdoodles and he slid it across the counter to Jughead.

"Take these to your girl." He said. "You know you guys can stay as long as you want."

"Thanks, Mr. Topaz." Jughead said as he lifted the tray from the counter and turned to begin making his way back to Betty.

When he got back to the lounge area he found Betty with her feet tucked up on the couch next to her with the throw blanket over her legs and she seemed absorbed in the book that she'd picked up. She had a small furrow between her brows that he'd noticed she got when she was concentrating on something. The image of her in her pristine cheerleading uniform among the worn furniture and books made him smile. She seemed out of place and right at home all at once. The sound of him sitting the tray on the table caught her attention and brought it away from her book as she glanced at him in surprise.

Jughead took a moment to pour some tea into the cups before he looked at her as he handed one to her. She accepted it graciously and he noticed her bring it up to give it a sniff.

"It's chamomile." He said. "It's supposed to calm you."

"Chamomile is my favorite." She commented as she finally took a sip of it. Jughead followed suit, it was warm but not so hot that you couldn't drink it.

"What are you reading?" He asked, motioning to the book in her hand.

"To Kill A Mockingbird." She answered. "I've read it before but it's one of my favorites."

"Really?" He asked, surprised. "I had you pegged for a pride and prejudice kind of girl."

"That's not a bad book either but I guess it doesn't appeal to me as much." She shrugged. "Stories that depict the darker side of humanity appeal to me I guess. I find it fascinating to see how far someone will go for their own set of beliefs."

"I guess I get that." He said. "It is an interesting concept. Some people will go to extremes to protect the ideals the hold, even going as far as murder, it is interesting to read about and try to understand what someone was thinking."

"Exactly." She said with a grin on her face before patting the spot next to her on the couch. "Come sit and read with me." 

He moved to sit next to her and grabbed a book off the table in front of them without really glancing at it before flipping it open. She smiled as she went back to her reading, sipping her tea ever so often, prompting him to look at his book as well. He wasn't actually reading so much as he was holding the book open on his lap as he observed her and occasionally ate a cookie. 

She had pulled her ponytail forward and was twirling the end of it around her finger as her eyes flicked over the pages in front of her. She had that focused look she got in class and he knew that her mind was working a mile a minute as she read the book. After a few minutes she began chewing on her lip as she adjust her position slightly on the end of the couch, readjusting the blanket around her legs, making him scoot away slightly to give her more room. 

After he'd had his fill of watching her he leaned back against the other edge of the couch and actually began reading the book in his lap. He glanced at the front of the book and realized that he'd picked up a book of collected short stories from popular literature, not exactly what he'd expected but he shrugged and began reading it anyway. It was quiet, only broken up by the sound of pages turning, until a loud boom of thunder outside made them both jump. Betty was clutching at her chest with wide eyes.

"Jesus!" She exclaimed just as it opened up outside and began to pour the rain.

"i should get you home before it gets worse." Jughead said, looking at her and she gave him an incredulous look.

"You want to drive your motorcycle in that?" She asked.

"I can borrow Mr. Topaz's car, he won't mind." He insisted. Betty sighed and set the book back on the table.

"Okay." She said. "But we should probably move your bike first before it gets soaked out there."

"Right." He said grabbing her hand. "Come on."

They made their way back to the front of the shop and Jughead pushed his bike into the alley beside the shop where it connected to the roof of the shop beside it giving the alley shelter from the storm. Betty stood in front of the shop underneath the small overhang as he did and when he rejoined her he noticed that she was distracted by a sign across the street. He followed her gaze to the tattoo parlor and their conversation from a few days ago came back to him.

"You ready to go?" He asked. She was already shivering, her hands running along her arms to create heat, but she shook her head anyway.

"I wanna do something reckless Juggie." She said softly and he studied her face. 

"What?" He asked but he knew already.

"Remember when I told you I wanted to get a tattoo?" She asked and he nodded. "I know you said I should wait until I was sure what I wanted and I've been trying to think of something I'd want on my body forever, something that meant something to me, but I just realized that it doesn't have to mean anything at all." She looked at him with her green eyes shining. "I want to do something crazy without thinking it through. I want to be spontaneous and damn the consequences."

"Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded.

"Absolutely." She confirmed. "Come on."

She pulled him across the street quickly, the rain soaking them both on the short trip, until they were standing inside the tattoo parlor. The woman behind the counter looked at both of them with her eyebrow raised but Jughead knew she was a serpent so she obviously knew who he was and wasn't likely to question them. Betty practically bounced to the counter and gave the woman a bright smile.

"Do you have a design book I could look at?" She asked. The woman didn't say anything, instead she turned and pulled a large binder from under the counter and slid it across to them. "Thank you!"

Jughead followed after her as she moved to sit in the chairs against the wall as she began flipping through the book. She had a look of excitement on her face that made him want to laugh. He felt like he should be trying to discourage her from doing something so rash and impulsive but he didn't want to sound like a controlling dick so he went along with it. Betty was smart, she wouldn't do anything that she didn't feel comfortable with, so he knew that she could handle this and she didn't need his input.

She had seemingly found the section of the book with small simple designs which she seemed happy to peruse, lingering on a few before deciding that it wasn't what she wanted. It took her all of thirty minutes to decide showing him what she had picked, a small fox curled into a ball with a triangular face, before she returned to the counter and requested the tattoo. Luckily for them, the tattoo artist was free so he said he could fit her in for the simple tattoo. He told them that it wouldn't take very long to do leaving Betty to decide where she wanted it.

"It can't be anywhere too visible." She said as she looked at him.

"Where's the least likely place your mother will see it?" He asked, knowing that's what she had meant.

"Hmm." She hummed as she looked at herself in the mirror before abruptly pulling her shirt over her head making his eyes widen as she also pulled the turtle neck underneath her cheerleading shirt off leaving her standing in front of them both in just her bra.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jughead asked, glancing at the tattoo artist. Betty rolled her eyes.

"Relax Jug." She said. "I figured out where I want it."

She indicated a spot high on her rib cage, a little lower than the side of her breast and the tattoo artist moved toward her to place the stencil to make sure she approved of the placement. They had to make a couple of adjustments but soon Betty was laying on the table and she reached out for him as the tattoo gun began buzzing . He gave her his hand as he pulled a seat over to sit in front of her. She squeezed his hand tightly as the gun touched her skin and her brushed her hair back from her face a placed a kiss on her forehead to comfort her.

He knew that the place she had picked for the tattoo was one of the most painful places to get one so he knew that it had to hurt but she didn't complain. Jughead found himself fascinated by the way the lines took form on her skin, the simple but beautiful design standing out against her pale complexion nicely, as the tattoo artist worked. He'd had his tattoo for so long that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to have it inked into his skin and watching Betty get a tattoo made him want to get one too. The tattoo artist had been telling the truth when he said it wouldn't take very long getting done with it thirty minutes later.

Betty moved immediately to the mirror to look at it and as he watched her, he saw her smile widely as she saw it for the first time, permanently etched into her skin. The skin around it was raised and red but he knew that would go away as it healed but Betty seemed pleased with it. He moved to stand beside her as the artist wrapped her tattoo in plastic and gave her instructions on how to take care of it before she pulled on her clothes again. He placed his hands on her arms gently making her look at him and he smiled at her.

"Are you happy?" He asked and she nodded happily.

"Very much so." She said.

"Good." He said quietly. "I was afraid you might regret it."

"Never." She said. "I'm glad I got it. It's nice to do something without worrying about other peoples reactions for once, to do something just for me."

"Well, I'm glad that you're satisfied with it." He said before kissing her softly. "But I really should get you home now, before the storm get worse. It sounds rough out there."

"Okay." She said. "I'm ready to go home now."

They moved to the front of the parlor where Betty paid for the tattoo before they went outside again. They wind was blowing the rain into their faces as they rushed across the street again and back into the book shop. Jughead left Betty at the front as he went back to borrow the keys from Mr.Topaz and by the time they got into his car, they were soaking wet. They ran was crashing against the windshield like a water fall as Jughead began driving back toward the north side. 

The trip back took double the time it had taken to get to the book shop due to the storm. Jughead parked the car in front of her house knowing that neither Archie or Mrs. Cooper would be able to see who was dropping her off through the lashing rain. He turned to her and pulled her in for a thorough kiss which left them both breathless and left Betty with red cheeks as she stared at him with her lips slightly parted.

"Be safe on the way back." She said seriously. "Text me when you get there so I know you're safe."

"I will. I promise." He said. Betty stared at him for a moment before pulling him in for another kiss.

"Thank you for today." She said softly when they broke apart once again. "For checking on me and for cheering me up and especially for not judging me for my impulsive decision."

"No problem, I love when you're impulsive." He said with a laugh before getting serious. "But seriously any time you need to just get away from everything for a while, you can call me and I'll come help take your mind off of things."

She didn't say anything instead pulling him in for another deep kiss. She pressed her body against his over the center console and he made a soft sound low in his throat as his hand went to her ponytail and he wrapped his hand around it. She pushed him back into the seat as she climbed over the console and straddled his lap and his hand left her hair to move to rest on her thighs. The skirt of her uniform had ridden up around her waist, giving him full access to the exposed skin as his hands slid along her legs. He pulled back from the kiss for a moment.

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I'd take your mind off of things but I'm not complaining." He said, his voice low and she grinned at him.

"Sorry." She said even as she attached her lips to his neck. He sighed out as she sucked a bruise into his skin, his hands roaming higher on her legs until they were brushing against the edge of her underwear. The sound of rain on the roof of the car and the streams of water running down the windows made them feel like they were alone but the sound of a car rushing by on the street brought them both out of the haze and made them remember that they were sitting in front of her house and anyone could wonder onto them at any point, including her own mother, and he didn't see that going well for either of them. Betty sighed and leaned her forehead against his. "I should go inside."

"I'll call you later." He said softly as he kissed her once more before she climbed off his lap and back into the passenger seat before grabbing her bag and opening the door. She waved at him before closing it and he pulled out of the driveway as she rushed forward and into the house. The drive back to the south side allowed him to clear his mind and he found himself thankful that they hadn't gone any further in Mr. Topaz's car, he'd never live it down.

It occurred to him that he now knew something about Betty Cooper that no one else did, the small tattoo nestled high on her side, and it made him happy to know that their were things that she shared only with him. He knew it was stupid, it was just a tattoo, but it made him feel closer to her, made him feel like she actually trusted him which he was glad about. He knew they had a long road to go before they were anything serious but he thought that today was a step in that direction, a step closer to a relationship that involved more than just sex and he was glad for it. 


	17. Chapter 17

For the rest of the week she and Jughead would meet up after school and he'd take her to places on the south side that showed the beauty and community of the people who lived there. Many of the Serpents worked in places that helped the low income families that lived in Sunnyside trailer park with Jughead, like the homeless shelter and the food pantry, making Betty realize even more than she had that the north side had the totally wrong idea about the Serpents and the south side in general. She knew that much of their bias had to do with the leather jackets and the term 'gang', which while technically being what they were wasn't really the right word for it. They were more like a club than anything else.

Betty found that she actually loved the south side. The people there were more accepting and free than the people she'd grown up with who all tried to fit into some idealized version of the American Dream, giving the illusion of perfection a solid place in their homes and hearts, even when things were falling apart in reality. Her own mother was still trying to maintain that image, clinging to it like a drowning person, despite the fact that their family was splintered and broken. On the south side people didn't pretend to be something that they weren't, they just laid out their personality and lives for all to see and let them decide if they were going to accept it or not. She knew that most of the people they met could tell right away that she was from the north side and she'd thought that it would cause a problem, that maybe they wouldn't like her being around because of all the crap the north side had thrown at them, but once they realized that she wasn't going to put them down they were happy to have her around.

After the initial incident with Sweet Pea she hadn't had any problems with any of the Serpents on her visits to the Whyte Wyrm which she was relieved about. Jughead had told her repeatedly that Sweet Pea would get over it eventually so she tried not to worry about him too much. Seeing the south side through the eyes of Jughead made her appreciate him more. He'd been through a lot in his life, with and alcoholic father and absentee mother, but he was still kind and sweet and always willing to help someone out. He had also told her about the charity work that the Serpents participated in, Toys for Tots, and had shyly confided in her that he wouldn't have had Christmas presents when he was younger if it wasn't for the program so he liked to give back now that he could which she admired. He was an all around good guy and she wished that other people could see past the jacket and label to that great guy underneath it all.

It was now the weekend once more and Betty found herself staring at the ceiling in her bedroom in boredom. Her mother had gone on a women in journalism retreat for the weekend leaving her alone in the house and Veronica had plans to spend the weekend in New York so since she and Archie weren't on the best of terms at the moment that left her sans friends for the weekend. She had thought about calling Toni because they'd spent last weekend together but she was still unsure if they were friends or not, plus she didn't know if Toni had made any progress in asking Cheryl out but if she had Betty didn't want to accidentally interrupt a date. She hadn't wanted to call Jughead figuring that they'd already spent the entire week together and she didn't want to seem like a clingy girlfriend, especially since they weren't actually dating, but she was getting desperate to not be alone anymore so she grabbed her phone and sent a quick text.

_B: Are you busy?_

_J: Not really. Just writing a bit._

Betty bit her lip. She didn't want to bother him if he was busy, she could figure out something to do around the house. She was about to text him never mind when her phone beeped again.

_J: Why? Do you need something?_

_B: I was just wondering if you wanted to come over but it's fine I don't want to bother you._

_J: You aren't bothering me. I've got a bit of writers block anyway._

_B: Oh. Anyway you don't have to come if you're busy._

_B: My mom's gone for the weekend._

_B: Not that this is a booty call or anything._

Betty wanted to slap herself. She shouldn't have even mentioned that her mother was gone, she knew that he knew she wouldn't have invited him if her mother was home, not wanting to deal with that drama yet but it totally sounded like a booty call. She wasn't opposed to having sex with him if he came over but she didn't want him to think that was the only reason that she'd invited him over.

_J: Relax Betts, i know it isn't a booty call, still I'll be over in ten._

Betty stared at the phone for a minute debating whether to text back an okay or not before she rolled her eyes and tossed it back on the bedside table. She rolled off of her bed and made her way down the stairs to wait for him to get to the house knowing that she'd need to let him in. She made her way to the kitchen and took out the cookies that she'd made earlier in the day figuring that they could eat them while watching something on Netflix. Jughead, she had learned, had quite the sweet tooth.

She put some milk into a pan to heat for hot chocolate when she heard the rumble of a bike outside and left the kitchen to swing the front door open. Jughead parked his bike in the driveway where her mother usually parked the car and strapped his helmet to the handle bar before coming to the front door. He greeted her with a soft kiss before she pulled him into the house quickly making sure that none of her nosy neighbors were lurking about. Jughead glanced around the house as she stepped past him to make her way back into the kitchen. She added the chocolate powder to the now warm milk and stirred until it all mixed in while Jughead seemed to be looking at the pictures on the walls. Once she finished the hot chocolate, she put it into two mugs and sat them on the counter with the cookies before joining Jughead in the living room.

"So this is what living on the north side looks like? It's all very....pastel." He said softly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Not that that's a bad thing."

"It's my mom's doing." She said rolling her eyes. She knew he was covering his tracks because she happened to wear a lot of pastels. "She hates dark colors. Polly and I were always forced into soft pastels and pinks so it kind of stuck. Even now if I branch out too far from my predetermined color palette she gets a little twitchy, I figure it's not worth the fight it would cause. Pastels aren't the worst, I can deal with it."

"So all this perfect girl next door vibe, it's all your mother?" He asked and Betty shrugged.

"I guess." She admitted before smirking at him slightly. "I figured you'd know that by now."

"Oh believe me, I do." He said pulling her into him and kissing her thoroughly. She pressed her body into him as her lips parted allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth. They made out for a few minutes before she pushed him away gently.

"I thought we could watch something in my room." She said, pulling him into the kitchen and handing him his cup of hot chocolate and the plate of cookies to carry.

"Something dirty?" He asked with a grin and she rolled her eyes.

"No." She said, laughing softly. "A movie or something."

"Not as fun but okay." He said, following her up the stairs.

She pushed her bedroom door closed once they were inside and put a wooden tray on her bed for Jughead to sit the cookies on before opening her laptop and going to her Netflix account. She sat it on the bed as well before moving to the window to pull the curtain over it and Jughead gave her a questioning look.

"Archie." She said with a shrug. " I don't particularly need him glancing over and seeing you here because he'd definitely do something stupid."

"His bedroom is right across from yours?" Jughead asked and she could hear an edge in his voice that she couldn't quite place.

"Yeah, it has been since we were kids." She said.

"Do you always leave your curtain open?" He asked and she recognized the under tone this time. She turned to him with a grin.

"Jealous?" She asked playfully. Jughead shrugged jerkily with a grumpy look on his face.

"I just don't like the thought of anyone else seeing you undressed." He said and she laughed softly as she moved to kiss him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's seen me naked enough times that he's desensitized to it." She said and Jughead growled low in his throat making her giggle. "I'm joking Juggie. Of course I close my curtains when I'm undressed. I'm not in the business of giving free peep shows."

"Good." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'd hate to have to fight him. I'd probably lose and it would be embarrassing for all of us."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. Let's watch something."

She pulled him toward the bed and sat next to him as they adjusted the pillows into a comfortable position and searched for a movie. It took them a solid ten minutes to decide before they settled on one that neither of them had seen before but that sounded interesting. It was a crime movie which they both liked. They munched on cookies and drank their hot chocolate as they debated quietly on who they thought the killer was. In the end, Betty won the discussion and turned out to be right. It had been the agent investigating it the whole time.

After that movie went off Betty left Jughead in her room to pick another movie while she took the dishes down to the sink and when she came back he was still scrolling through the list claiming that there was nothing good on the whole platform. Betty took the laptop from him and began her own scrolling before realizing that nothing sounded appealing to her and she began to believe Jughead's statement. She sighed as she closed the laptop and sat it to the side before she turned to Jughead.

"I suppose there are other ways to entertain ourselves." She said and he grinned at her.

"Are you objectifying me, Miss Cooper?" He asked with a glint in his eyes.

"Maybe." She said and he shrugged.

"I don't mind it if it's you." He said.

"We still have a few things on my list." She said. "Do you remember?"

"Of course I do." He answered, his eyes going darker. She slid form the bed and moved to rummage through her closet for a moment before she found what she was looking for. She'd bought them right after she'd given him the list so they could gradually work up to them. She turned and held out the gleaming metal cuffs to him. "For you or me this time?"

"For me." She said, dropping her voice as she pressed them into his hands along with a strip of cloth that she knew he'd recognize for what it was. "I'm entirely at your mercy."

He stared at her for a long moment, a look on his face as if he was trying to work out if she was joking or not, before he seemed to shake himself. He moved toward her suddenly, pulling her in for a kiss before he sat the cuffs on the bed and wrapped the blindfold around her eyes. She reached out for him and found his hands sliding into hers.

"Are you sure about this Betty?" He asked, his voice quiet. She nodded.

"I'll tell you if I want to stop, I promise." She assure him. He pulled her to her feet and she could feel him move them away from the bed.

"Okay then." He said quietly before he seemed to embrace his role, his next words coming out as a command. "Strip. Leave the underwear."

She hurried to comply, the task a little more difficult now that she couldn't see, but eventually she got it done. She stood in front of him in only her underwear waiting patiently for the next command to come. She heard him moving toward her, his footsteps heavy in his combat boots, until he paused in front of her. She jumped slightly at his first touch, not expecting it, but forced herself to relax. His fingers ran over her skin lightly leaving behind lines of heat as he moved around her, dragging along her rib cage up to her collarbone before moving around to her shoulders and back. The touches were light and barely there and made her anticipate his next move.

After seemingly exploring every part of her with just his fingertips, he followed the same trail with his tongue, sucking at the skin lightly as he went and making her tremble. He'd barely touched her and she was already ready to fall apart. She reached out to touch him, to pull him closer, but he pushed her hands away and stepped back. She made a soft sound of annoyance that seemed to amuse him because he chuckled lightly.

"I didn't say you could touch me." He stated, his voice low and commanding.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, contrition in her voice. He didn't say anything as she heard him moved around her and suddenly he grabbed her wrist and pulled it behind her, finally employing the cuffs, the click as it closed around both her wrists echoing in her mind.

"That should keep you from disobeying." He said and she whimpered at the tone in his voice. "Kneel."

She went to her knees without a word. He ran his hands through her hair, which she had left down for the day, as he circled her again. 

"You're going to be a good girl for me aren't you?" He said, the heat in his voice clear.

"Yes." She answered.

"Yes what?" He asked.

"Yes sir. I'll be good for you." She whimpered out. They hadn't discussed this as part of their sexual exploration but she wasn't complaining. It was almost nice to give up control for once, let someone else call the shots, and she trusted him not to do something that she wouldn't like so it was all okay.

"Good girl." His voice was husky and sent heat straight to her core making her press her legs together for some sort of relief, she liked the praise. She heard him moving around once again, the sound of his belt being undone and she stiffened as she waited for his next move. He placed his hand under her chin and she felt his cock pressing against her lips. "Suck."

She took him into her mouth immediately, rolling her tongue around the tip before sinking down onto him. He wasn't small and with her hands cuffed behind her back she couldn't really control how much of him she took in and she found herself thankful for her lack of gag reflex as he bumped against the back of her throat. She suckled on him softly as she followed the veins she could feel with her tongue. His hand tightened in her hair as sounds fell from his lips and she was proud that she was the one to draw them out of him. 

His hips thrust forward lightly and she took it all without complaint until he pulled her off of him suddenly and she glanced up at him in question, or at least tried to, her vision obviously obstructed by the blindfold. He pulled her up with the hand in her hair and crashed his lips onto hers in a kiss that she eagerly returned. He used his hand on her hip to move her until she bumped into what she was almost certain was her vanity and sat her down on the edge of it. 

"You deserve a reward for being so good for me." He said moments before he grabbed the edge of her panties and pulled the down her legs and off her body. She felt his hands on her thighs before he pushed her legs open, exposing her completely, as he kissed her again. 

She tried to follow him when he pulled out of the kiss but he pushed her back lightly and she heard movement in front of her before his lips began trailing along her thighs. Her breathing went ragged as she realized what he was doing and she leaned back slightly to gave him better access, bumping into the mirror lightly and making it rattle, but she wasn't paying attention to that right now.

His tongue ran over her making her breath come out in a rush as he circled her clit. She let the moans fall from her lips as his hands held her thighs apart with a bruising grip, the blindfold making everything that much more intense, as his tongue pushed in and out of her. Her hands clenched, desperate for something to hold on to, making the cuffs pull roughly against her skin. She sucked her lip into her mouth and bit down on it as he turned his attention fully to her clit, sucking on it with fervor sending tingles up her spine and making her breathing come in sharp gasps between the moans.

He moved his hand from her thigh and added his fingers to the sensations flooding her body. Her hips jerked as he pumped his fingers in and out of her as he kept pressure on her clit with his mouth and she felt the pressure building quickly.

"Fuck." She moaned out quietly. 

The word seemed to spur him on as he began moving his hand faster and sucking harder until the pressure low in her belly exploded over her. She felt the orgasm from the top of her head to her toes, which curled in pleasure. Her body had broken out into goosebumps as the sensations rolled over her, making her roll her hips against him. He only moved his mouth away from her once the orgasm had passed. She heard him moving in front of her again before he kissed her once more. She could taste herself on his lips and it only made her kiss him harder as she wrapped her legs around him.

The rough fabric of his jeans, which he was still wearing, against the inside of her thighs made her buck her hips into him. He grabbed her waist with his hands, preventing her from moving and keeping her in place.

"Did you like your reward?" He asked, pushing her hair away from her neck and planting his lips there.

"Yes sir." She answered.

"And what do you say?" He asked.

"Thank you, sir." She said as she tried desperately to rub herself against him.

"Greedy, aren't you?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

"Please." She whimpered.

"Please what? You have to use your words baby." He said.

"Please fuck me, sir." She said. "I'll be good for you."

"Is that so?" He asked, yanking her to the edge of the vanity until she was balanced precariously on the edge.

"So good." She assured him.

"I suppose you have been very good." He said and she nodded. She heard him moving around once again, one hand leaving her hip for a moment before he entered her without warning making her curse lightly.

She wrapped her legs around him again, jerking against the cuffs and making them rattle, as he pushed into her relentlessly. She bit her lip again to muffle the sounds she was making and he pulled it from between her lips moments later as he kissed her. The kiss was open mouthed and messy but neither of them seemed to mind as the sounds they were making mingled together, filling the room with the sound of their lovemaking. Betty clenched around him as he slowed his movements, moving almost leisurely, making her desperate and frustrated at the same time. She rolled her hips against him, trying to make him move more, but he just clenched his hands around her hips to stop her.

"Patience is a virtue." He said and she made a frustrated sound. His hands left her hips for a moment and suddenly she was blinking in the light of the bedroom. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the light, distracting her from their joined bodies for a moment as he came into focus and she looked at him. He was smirking at her as he pulled out of her completely. Her body clenched around the emptiness and she whimpered. He pulled her off of the vanity and spun her around to face the mirror as he whispered in her ear. "I want you to watch. Can you do that for me, baby?"

"Yes sir." She answered and saw for the first time just what addressing him like that did to him. His eyes darkened until they were almost black as he pushed her down lightly over the desk before he pushed into her again, resuming the slow pace that he'd set. She could now see herself in the mirror and she looked utterly wrecked. Her hair was a mess, her lips were swollen and bright pink, and her cheeks had high patches of red. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, she knew likely from the orgasm. 

Jughead placed a hand on the chain between the cuffs on her wrists and wrapped the other around her waist as he pushed into her slowly. He lost his beanie somewhere leaving his dark hair visible to her under the lights of her bedroom and he had a look of concentration on his face as if it was taking a lot for him to keep the slow pace. It felt good but she wanted more and she whined in frustration. Jughead glanced up and their eyes met in the mirror.

"Please." She begged. "Please fuck me."

"I am." He said, raising a brow at her. 

"Fuck me harder." She clarified but he just kept the same expression on his face. "Please, sir."

It seemed to do the trick as he began snapping his hips forward roughly, sinking deep into her with each thrust, making her hips bump into the edge of the desk. The mirror was rattling harder now but Betty couldn't bring herself to be concerned about it as Jughead fucked into her. His pace was fast and hard making her breath punch out of her in puffs of air and her hands scrambled for purchase, finally finding it in Jughead's wrist. He had a steady grip on the chain between the cuffs seemingly using it for leverage. Betty could feel a burn in her shoulders from having her hands behind her for so long and she knew she would be feeling it tomorrow but the slight pain wasn't enough to distract her from the pleasure.

A soft sheen of sweat covered both of them by the time Jughead's hips stuttered and he used the hand on her waist to move lower and press against her clit, sending her flinging over the edge once more only moments before he slammed home and stopped moving. She heard his breath leave him in a rush as they both got lost in their orgasms. As she came down she became aware of her shaky legs and knew that he likely wasn't doing much better as he leaned into her.

He pulled out a few moments later and moved away, making her look over her shoulder at him, before he came back with the keys to the cuffs and released them. After placing them on the vanity, he pulled her gently toward the bed and covered them both with the blanket once they were laying down. It was quiet for a moment before he brushed her hair from her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly. "That got pretty intense."

"I'm okay." She said. "I told you I'd tell you if I wanted to stop."

"I know but I thought I'd check in with you anyway. There were some things that happened that we didn't discuss beforehand." He said.

"I know." She said, looking up to meet his eyes. "But it wasn't bad. I....I mean, I kinda liked it. If you're okay with it, I might want to try it again. I like having you tell me what to do."

"I'm okay with it." He said softly, running his hand along her hair. "If that's something you want to explore it does kind of go hand and hand with bondage in some circumstances, which is on the list anyway."

"Yeah." She said softly, thinking for a moment before she looked at him. "You're sure it doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"I'm sure Betty." He said. "To be honest, I kinda liked it too."

"That's good." She said. "I was kind if afraid that it would weird you out and it would only be a one time thing."

"Definitely not." He said, kissing her softly.

"You know, I swear earlier wasn't a booty call." She said, almost like an after thought. "I did really just want to hang out."

"I know." He said with a laugh. "But hey, I'm not complaining."

"Do you want to stay the night?" She asked. "We could find something to watch, not on Netflix, and maybe make some more cookies. If you want I mean, it's a little strange being here by myself is all and I'd like the company, if you're interested."

"Of course I'll stay." He said, kissing her on the forehead lightly. "All you ever have to do is ask and I'll be here."

Betty smiled as she burrowed into his side pulling the covers over them more firmly as she did. She could have stayed home alone, had done it many times before, but she had realized in that moment that she didn't want to let him go just yet. She felt like that night something small and almost intangible changed in their relationship but it was enough to make both of them feel that the other person was becoming a big and important part of their lives without either of them really realizing it. It was strange because Betty didn't believe in soulmates but, despite appearances, she and Jughead seemed almost perfectly matched for one another


	18. Chapter 18

Jughead woke early the next morning with Betty still wrapped around him as his phone rang. She made a soft sound as her eyes fluttered open to look at him sleepily and he gave her an apologetic look as he reached for his phone and answered it. It was his father saying that he needed him to come to the Wyrm and help out with something so he kissed Betty softly before climbing out of bed to get dressed. He left her cuddled up in the blankets as her eyes slipped closed again with a promise to call her later. When he stepped out of the house he made sure that none of her neighbors were lurking around as he climbed on his bike and pulled out of the driveway to make his way across town.

When he got to the Whyte Wyrm he made his way straight back to the manager's office where he knew he'd find his father and when he stepped in he found that Sweet Pea was also inside. Jughead refrained from sighing as he took the seat next to Sweet Pea to face his father across the desk, who was studying them with an unreadable look on his face, before he cleared his throat.

"I need the two of you to make a delivery over in Greendale. You can take my truck." He said. glancing between them. "And while your at it, you two can sort out whatever tension is between you."

"There's no tension." Jughead said, but the edge in his voice betrayed him. Hid father raised an eyebrow.

"You think I'm stupid boy?" His father asked. "Everyone heard about what happened at the quarry. Work it out, we can't fight among ourselves."

"He was rude to Betty." Jughead protested.

"She's going to screw us over." Sweet Pea said, equally as annoyed.

"No she isn't!" Jughead exclaimed, glaring at Sweet Pea.

"This is what I mean." His father said. "You can't fight like this, we already get enough crap from the rest of the town we don't need to get it from each other. Work it out and figure out how to work with each other. Now go, it's a long drive."

Jughead muttered under his breath as he left the room with Sweet Pea following behind him. They didn't speak a word the whole walk to the truck or even when they were loading a crate into the back. The silence extended between them as the drive got underway with Jughead turning the radio up and ignoring Sweet Pea's presence as much as he could. They were still silent as they drove past the sign pronouncing that they were now leaving Riverdale and entering Greendale until Jughead sighed and glanced over at him. He knew that if he and Sweet Pea hadn't at least had a conversation by the time they got back that his father would likely pair them together for the rest of eternity so he swallowed his pride and spoke first.

"You know she's not her mother right?" He said. "She's a good person. You'd see that if you just gave her a chance." 

"Give her the chance to talk shit about me? No thanks." Sweet Pea scoffed.

"I've been spending time with her for weeks and she has never said a bad thing about the serpents." Jughead told him. "She didn't even say anything bad about you even after you were a dick to her. If she was going to print an article or say something, she would have by now."

"You say that she's not like her mother but she's still a northsider and eventually she's going to get bored of you and the south side and then she's going to just go back to her life and start treating us like we're less than her." Sweet Pea said. "I'm not going to get involved in that and give her even more to use against me."

"She isn't like that." Jughead said, his hands gripping the wheel tightly in anger at the words.

"Oh so it's serious between you two then?" Sweet Pea asked sarcastically. "Don't kid yourself Jones, you're using each other for sex. That's all it is."

"You're wrong." Jughead said, his anger obvious in his voice now. "She cares about me and I care about her. It's not just sex, I love her!"

Silence fell in the car once more, Jughead shocking even himself into shutting up with that statement. He wasn't even sure how long he'd been feeling it but he knew that it was the truth. He hadn't meant to say it to anyone before he'd even said it to Betty herself but it had come out in his anger. It was something that he hadn't even admitted to himself yet but now it was out there and there was no taking it back. The tension between them now was less anger and more awkward and Jughead could tell that Sweet Pea hadn't been expecting his declaration either and now they were both just trying to pretend that he hadn't said anything. 

They finally blessedly reached the drop off location and Jughead practically leaped from the car to open the tail gate and begin pulling the crate off. Sweet Pea came around to help carry it inside where they dropped it on the designated spot and turned to leave. Someone would come by in a few hours to pick it up and they didn't need to be here when that happened so they were once again on the road. The drive back to Riverdale was even worse than the drive to Greendale because both of them were trying desperately not to look at one another or acknowledge Jughead's declaration. Finally Sweet Pea seemed to come to terms with it as he cleared his throat.

"So, is that where you were last night? With her?" He asked, still not looking at Jughead. They both kept their gazes on the road in front of them.

"How do you know I wasn't home?" Jughead asked.

"Seriously Jones?" Sweet Pea sounded exasperated. "You were wearing those clothes yesterday for one and secondly, you don't live that far from me, I noticed that your bike was gone."

"So what if I was?" Jughead was defensive now. He knew that Sweet Pea didn't approve of Betty or their relationship so his walls were up.

"Nothing." Sweet Pea said, his voice neutral obviously trying to keep the peace. "Just didn't think her mother was so keen on southsiders."

"She wasn't home." Jughead admitted. "Betty asked me to stay." 

"Hmm." Sweet Pea acknowledged his statement but didn't comment further until they pulled up back at the Wyrm an hour later. He turned to Jughead as he climbed out of the truck, their eyes meeting as Sweet Pea sighed. "Look Jones, I'm not going to be her best friend or anything but I'll lay off."

"Thank you Sweet Pea." Jughead said, genuinely surprised by the other boys words. Sweet Pea bit his lip before speaking again.

"I'm also not going to say anything about what you said." He said quietly as he stared at Jughead. "I hope you're right about her, that she's different from her mother. I hope she doesn't break your heart."

Sweet Pea closed the door to the truck and turned to walk back inside the bar. Jughead knew that he was going to report to his father but he found that he couldn't bring himself to leave the truck just yet. He was coming to terms with the fact that he'd said he loved Betty without even thinking. Now that he'd said it out loud it seemed obvious, of course he loved her, but he wasn't sure if she felt the same. What if Sweet Pea was right and she was using him for sex? After all that was how their whole relationship had started the day she'd approached him in Pop's. 

He'd never meant to fall in love with her but it had happened unexpectedly. He hadn't expected her to be so captivating. He had been sure that all of the happiness and kindness she showed to everyone was just a facade that she put out to make herself look good, he'd thought that no one could actually be that nice, but she was. Betty was genuinely kind and accepting and open minded. He had learned her image wasn't all real, that it was carefully crafted by her mother over years, but she was still a better person than most. She even had a tendency to take on other people's problems if she thought she could fix them. He had seen he go out of her way to help people and knew that she had a habit of overextending herself because of her inability to say no but through it all she never complained once.

He admired her work ethic and easy ability to get along with everyone. Looking back, falling in love with her had been slow and gradual, built up over the weeks of observing her and seeing her interact with people with kindness regardless of who they were, but the realization that that was how he felt was sudden and left him almost breathless. Betty was everything he wanted in a girl and everything he never thought he deserved. The fact that she'd chosen him out of everyone amazed him.

He wanted to tell her and at the same time he wanted her to never find out. For the first time he was afraid, afraid that she wouldn't want him anymore if he said it out loud, afraid that she didn't want something so serious. He didn't want to lose her even if it meant that he could never tell her the truth about how he felt. He could keep it casual, as long as he still got to hold her at the end of the day. He could survive keeping his feelings to himself. 


	19. Chapter 19

After Jughead left Betty tried to go back to sleep, snuggled into the covers that now smelled like him, but the effort was futile. Once she was up, she was up, so she climbed out of the bed and got into the shower to wash away the night before. Her wrists were still red from the cuffs but it didn't bother her too much as she stood under the shower and let the warm water flow down her body. She spent a while in the shower, half the time spent washing her hair and body and the other half spent just standing under the water as it beat down against her shoulders. It felt so nice in the shower that she almost didn't want to leave but she eventually turned the water off and wrapped herself in a towel as she went back to her room to search for clothes.

She didn't plan on leaving the house that day so she threw on a pair of sweats and a comfortable t-shirt before heading downstairs to find something for breakfast. A short search through the cabinets revealed that they needed to go shopping so she settled for a bowl of cereal which she ate at the kitchen counter as she scrolled through her instagram feed, finding pictures of Veronica in various places around New York and also a picture of Cheryl and Toni at Pop's with Toni kissing Cheryl's cheek, captioned Best Girlfriend Ever. The picture made her smile, she was glad that Toni had apparently gotten the guts to ask Cheryl out and they were already adorable together. It also made her glad that she hadn't called Toni the night before because apparently she _had_ had plans.

She had just placed her bowl in the sink when a knock sounded at the door. She knew that it likely wasn't Jughead because she'd heard him on the phone with his father and knew that whatever he was doing would probably take a while. That coupled with the fact that he'd said he'd call her later had her glancing at the door in confusion as she stepped toward it. She swung it open easily to find Archie standing on her porch with hunched shoulders as his hands were buried deep in his pockets.

"Hey." He said quietly and Betty sighed as she looked at him. She didn't want to fight this early in the morning.

"Hey, Archie." She returned. "Do you need something?"

"Can we talk?" He asked. She stared at him for a moment before she stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her as she went and led him over to the swing on the porch. 

"What's up?" She asked as they sat down on it. Archie began swinging it lightly.

"Um, so this is a little awkward." He said, his cheeks staining red. Betty looked at him in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. 

"I know you're sleeping with a Southside Serpent." He blurted out. "I saw the motorcycle in your driveway and....well, other things."

"Other things?" She asked incredulously.

"Your curtain wasn't all the way closed." He said, ducking his head so he wasn't looking at her. "I assume you thought it was. I wasn't watching or anything, I just happened to glance out my window."

"Oh my God." Betty said, her cheeks heating rapidly.

"Sorry." Archie said. "I didn't mean to see."

They both fell into silence for a moment, not even daring to look at one another as Betty tried to rein in her embarrassment, until finally Archie cleared his throat and started speaking again.

"I figured that that was why you'd been so defensive of them lately." Archie said and Betty whipped her head to look at him, forgetting her embarrassment for a moment.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Archie shrugged.

"It's just that the Southside Serpents have been a sensitive spot for you lately." He said meeting her eyes. "I figured that sleeping with one of them would make you more sympathetic to the rest of them."

"Seriously Archie, are you still on this anti-Serpent train?" She exclaimed. "Did you just come over here to lecture me?"

"They're dangerous Betty and I don't want you getting hurt." He said seriously. "I don't know which one of them you're sleeping with, I couldn't see him, just you, but it's not a good idea."

"Yeah and who told you they were dangerous?" She snapped. "Your stupid football buddies? They don't know the first thing about the south side or about the Serpents. They're not dangerous Archie. I've met them and spoken to them. They're good people."

"They sell drugs." He said and it reminded her of their conversation at lunch. He was apparently still going to press the issue.

"They're good people." She repeated. "They're doing what they have to do to get by and take care of their families."

"I don't want you near them Betty, you're going to get hurt." He insisted, leaving the swing completely prompting her to stand as well.

"You're not my father! You don't just get to make choices for me or demand that I not see someone." She said, anger clear in her voice and posture. "They would never hurt me."

"He's using you." Archie said. "Whoever you're sleeping with. He's using you and you're letting him. As soon as he gets bored he's going to leave you, he probably brags to all his friends about how he got the perfect north side cheerleader to sleep with him. He'll tell everyone and ruin you."

"Oh, because sex is such a horrible thing." She said, rolling her eyes. "You don't know anything Archie, about my relationship or the person I'm sleeping with, so you can keep your opinions to yourself. I thought you were coming to apologize but I was wrong so you can go now."

"I'm trying to protect you." He said. 

"I don't need you to protect me. I'm a big girl Archie, I can make my own decisions and handle whatever consequences come along with them, I don't need you to do that for me." She glared at him as she shook her head. "What happened to you Archie? You used to be kind and compassionate and accepting of everyone no matter who they were. What happened to that boy? What happened to my best friend, because he's not the boy standing in front of me right now."

She turned and flung the door open before Archie caught her arm and spun her around to face him, reminiscent of the way he had in the cafeteria and their eyes met.

"When he ends up hurting you, don't say I didn't warn you." He said. 

She jerked away from him and entered the house, slamming the door behind her with a hint of finality. She leaned her back against the door as she breathed harshly and the tears fell down her cheeks relentlessly as a little bit of her heart broke for the boy on the other side of her door. He had lost himself by letting the opinions of others cloud his own so completely and she had a small niggling feeling that she'd lost her best friend. She stood alone on the other side of the door, away from the boy who had once meant so much to her, and all she could do was cry for what she'd lost.

She didn't know how long she stood there, her tears eventually stopping and drying on her cheeks, before a knock shocked her out of her stupor. She almost didn't answer it, afraid that it would be Archie again back to spew more hate, but after the second knock came she stepped away and turned to open it. It wasn't Archie. Jughead looked at her for a moment, his eyes showing surprise before he stepped inside and drew her into his arms as he closed the door behind him, prompting her tears to start again. 

He held her tightly, rubbing circles into her back with his hand and whispering soft comforting words into her hair until she finally calmed down enough to pull him over to the couch. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her once again. She eventually stopped crying and they sat together quietly as she sniffled until Jughead sighed and touched her face gently, bringing her eyes up to his.

"What happened?" He asked gently and she sucked in a breath.

"Archie." She said, her voice still thick with tears. "We had a fight, _again_ , and I think that this may be a permanent one. I think I lost my best friend."

"This wasn't about me was it?" He asked. "The fight."

"Partially." She admitted, wiping her hands across her face to clear the tears from her cheeks. "He knows that I'm sleeping with someone from the south side. He doesn't know who but he's not an idiot, it won't take him long to make the leap. He said you're going to end up hurting me, that you're only using me until you get bored."

"You know that isn't true, right Betty?" He asked, looking at her seriously. "I'd never hurt you and I'm not using you. I care."

"I know." She said softly touching his face lightly. "I'm just telling you because when he _does_ make the connection he's likely to do something stupid. It's just a heads up, I know what he said about you isn't true, but the other part of what he said was what got to me the most."

"Yeah?" She could hear the questioning lilt at the end of the word and she shrugged.

"He was just saying crap about the south side and the Serpents like he knows anything about them." She shook her head. "Now that I know a lot of them and I know what they do for the south side community I just hate how people talk about them. They won't even give them a chance before they condemn them just because they have less than other people. It pisses me off."

"Believe me I get it but eventually you learn to ignore it." He said and she shook her head. 

"I don't think I'll ever learn to ignore it." She said. He kissed her softly before pulling back and giving her a smile.

"I'm glad you gave the south side, and me, a chance." He said. "It's nice having someone on our side for once."

"Well, I'm happy to be on your side Jug." She said. "I'll be on your side no matter what."

He kissed her again before she pulled back and leaned her forehead against his as they smiled widely at each other.

"I care about you a lot, Betty Cooper." He said softly.

"I care about you a lot too, Jughead Jones." She answered back. The words sounded like something different to her ears, something they were both afraid of saying, a monumental life changing emotion.

Jughead stayed again that night with the expectation that he'd be gone by the time her mother got home at eleven the next morning. Betty made sure the curtains were closed fully this time before she joined him on the bed. They didn't have sex, instead they just held each other tightly until Jughead dropped off into sleep and Betty slipped out of the bed to sit at her vanity with the laptop open as she began writing. The article may have been a lie to cover with Archie at first but after today Betty knew it was an article that _needed_ to be written. She knew she'd get backlash, and not just from the other students, but she wasn't going to back down. She needed to tell this story.


	20. Chapter 20

Jughead was sitting in the cafeteria of the school surrounded by the other serpents while they ate their breakfast and he couldn't help but notice the glare he was getting from Archie Andrews, who had apparently worked out just who had been defiling his best friend like Betty had predicted he would, and Jughead was just waiting for him to come over and say something because he looked like he was about to explode. Veronica was sitting next to him and though Jughead couldn't hear her it seemed like she was hissing warnings into her boyfriends ear to keep him in place. Jughead knew that it wouldn't last and eventually Archie would begin to ignore her and would start something but it didn't seem to be happening right now so he tried his best to ignore him. Toni provided the perfect distraction when she entered the cafeteria and swung into the seat next to him as she slammed something down on the table in front of him.

"Did you see what your girlfriend wrote?" She asked, motioning to the paper on the table. Jughead gave her a look but didn't protest her use of the word _girlfriend._

"What are you talking about?" He asked as he picked up the paper.

"Read it." She insisted, nodding to the paper once more.

**The Truth About The Southside Serpents**

_By: Elizabeth Cooper_

_People born on the north side of Riverdale have always held the opinion that the south side and the Serpents, in particular, are bad. This is an attitude cultivated and encouraged by their parents and their parents before them but I'm writing this article to tell you why this opinion is the wrong one and should be changed. When I got the idea for this article I began spending more time on the south side with a friend who showed me around and I found that the south side community is one of the most inclusive communities that I've had the pleasure of visiting. The people are kind and genuine and always willing to lend a hand._

_The Serpents play a big role in the community on the south side and_ not _in a bad way as many people on the north side assume. Many of the members work in jobs that help and benefit the community that they are a part of, such as the homeless shelter, the food bank, and even the LGBT outreach center. They are genuine in their effort to help the people of the south side, many of whom are their neighbors and friends, while also cultivating an environment free of shame. Many people on the south side struggle with issues of low income and insufficient housing and these programs help them by making things just the slightest bit easier._

_The Serpents also participate in the charity Toys-for-Tots that makes sure that every child on the south side has something to open on Christmas morning regardless of their family's financial situation. This is something that people on the north side, myself included, have never had to worry about but the members of the serpents think about it every year as the holiday season comes upon them. In my conversations with members of the community I've learned that they see this charity and the other programs as a blessing because, not only does it help them out, it ensures that they don't have to explain to their children that there won't be anything for Christmas because of lack of funds which is something many of them had to deal with in their own youth._

_The serpents are called a gang and, while that's technically what they are, the word doesn't depict them accurately. After spending a few weeks visiting the south side and getting to know the people who live there I'd describe them as a community of like minded people rather than a gang. The Serpents are filled with kind and genuine people who deserve to be recognized as the loving and supportive community that they are. They formed to protect the south side and to give the people there somewhere to go when they didn't have anything else. The Serpents give the people of the south side a place to call home, a place where they won't be judged or taunted, it's a safe haven where they can be whatever they want without fear of retribution._

_So in conclusion the south side, and the Serpents, deserve our respect and friendship rather than being pushed away and ostracized. Many of the younger members of the south side community share our halls and classrooms and I think it's time that we embrace them. Next time you see a student from the south side take the time to talk to them and maybe you'll learn, as I did, that they're not so different from us. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a life long friend or even something more so take a chance and embrace our fellow students because they deserve to be treated with the kindness and friendship that we share with one another. Take a moment to step away from the ideals instilled in you by your parents and draw your own conclusions without them. Believe me when I say that you'll be happier for it._

Jughead was left staring at the paper in shock, he hadn't ever expected her to actually write an article about the south side or the serpents. Sweet Pea swiped the paper from his fingers and his eyes began roaming over it while Jughead glanced at Toni.

"When did she print this?" He asked and Toni shrugged.

"She sent it to the presses this morning for today's edition of the Blue and Gold." She explained. Sweet Pea sat it back on the table as he stared at Jughead for a moment.

"Maybe you were right, Jones." He said, his voice full of surprise. "She isn't like her mother." 

"Duh." Toni said. "Betty's great. You'd know that if you weren't so damn stubborn and actually tried to get to know her."

"Shut up Toni." Sweet Pea said as he rolled his eyes. "You only like her because she got you in with Cheryl."

"Not true. I actually like her." Toni said stubbornly. 

"Whatever." Sweet Pea said. 

"I've gotta go." Jughead said, ignoring their argument and standing from the table.

"She's in the Blue and Gold office." Toni informed him as he stepped away. 

He acknowledged her words with a wave of his hand as he left the cafeteria, his feet carrying him in the direction of the Blue and Gold offices without prompting. He had just made it to the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he spun around to see Archie standing in front of him while Veronica hovered slightly behind him as if she had tried to prevent him from doing this. She gave Jughead an apologetic look and he sighed as he moved his eyes to Archie. He looked angry and already ready to take a swing and they hadn't even spoken to each other yet. 

"Andrews." He nodded, his voice forcibly casual. He so didn't want to deal with this right now. "Can I help you with something?"

"Stay the hell away from Betty." Archie spat and Jughead rolled his eyes.

"I don't really think that's up to you." He said.

"You're going to hurt her. I know it." Archie practically growled the words.

"I would never hurt her." Jughead said as he finally began to get angry. "Maybe you don't understand this but I actually care about her."

"Yeah right." Archie laughed harshly. "You're using her."

"Haven't you already had this conversation with _her_? Aren't you tired of spitting the same argument?" Jughead said, keeping his voice even. The surprise on Archie's face told him that he hadn't expected Jughead to know about the argument he'd had with Betty. "Oh yeah, she told me all about that."

"She can't see it." Archie said, seeming to shake of the revelation and regain his confidence quickly. "She believes that you actually care but I know the truth. You're going to use her until you get bored and then you're going to toss her aside like a broken toy."

"Wow. Is that how you treat women because if it is I don't know how you have a girlfriend at all." Jughead said. 

"Just stay away from her you son of a bitch." Archie said, his anger finally getting the best of him and he took a step forward as if he was going to do something but Veronica grabbed his arm roughly and hauled him backwards at the same time as the door to the Blue and Gold opened and Betty stepped out, seeming surprised to find them on the other side of it. Jughead watched her eyes roam over them as she assessed the situation and she raised an eyebrow.

"Something going on out here?" She asked, her voice full of sarcasm and Jughead could tell that she had read the situation correctly and knew that they'd been in the middle of an argument.

"How can you let him touch you?" Archie snapped, glaring at both of them now.

"Jesus Archie, he isn't the devil." Betty said, rolling her eyes. 

"What would your mother say if she knew what you were letting him do?" Archie growled out. 

"What is your deal?" Betty asked. "Why is this so sensitive to you? It's not like you're not having sex."

"I'm not sleeping with south side scum." He spat and Jughead opened his mouth to say something before Betty beat him to it.

"So what, you'd rather I was sleeping with Reggie or Chuck? They were born on the right side of town right?" She snapped and Jughead narrowed his eyes. The thought of anyone else touching her pissed him off.

"At least then I'd know you aren't going to catch something." Archie said. glaring at Jughead. "Who knows where he's been."

"I know where he's been because he told me." Betty said, rolling her eyes again. "And you've got to be joking with that statement. Reggie and Chuck have slept with literally half the girls in this school. I'd be more likely to catch something from one of them than I would be from Jughead."

"I don't like him." Archie snapped.

"I don't care." Betty returned as she moved to Jughead's side and touched his arm lightly. "I don't need your approval Archie."

Archie opened his mouth like he was going to say something else but Veronica moved so that she was standing in front of him, placing herself between him and Betty and Jughead at the same time, as she spoke. 

"Archie seriously, this isn't any of your business." Veronica snapped and Archie's face changed slowly as he seemed to glance between the three of them before his eyes landed firmly on Veronica.

"You knew about this didn't you?" He flung his arm out to Jughead and Betty. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because Betty asked me not to." Veronica said, not even trying to deny her knowledge of them. Jughead was kind of impressed by how intimidating the petite girl looked as she glared at her boyfriend with her hands on her hips. "She knew you'd react like this so she asked me not to say anything and I agreed."

"So you two are keeping secrets now?" Archie said, anger clear in his voice and Veronica rolled her eyes. 

"Grow up Archie." She snapped. "Do you even realize the way you're acting? And yet you wonder why we kept it from you. You're acting like a child who had his favorite toy taken away. Betty isn't yours to boss around or make decisions for so you need to check yourself before you do something that you can't come back from. Jughead and Betty have been together for weeks and he hasn't been anything but kind to her and he's _never_ hurt her. Just because you don't approve doesn't give you the right to act the way you are. Get over yourself and learn to deal with it or fuck off because they don't need your attitude and neither do I."

Jughead and Betty were staring at Veronica with their mouths hanging open as she unleashed on Archie. Archie seemed speechless as he spun back to face them once again and Betty stepped away from Jughead and closer to Archie with her hands up in a placating gesture.

"Seriously Arch, walk away." She said softly. "Just take a minute to relax. Take in what we're saying to you and work on being better, okay?"

Archie stared at her for a moment as if he was going to say something but decided against it as he nodded and walked away from all of them. Betty sighed as she ran a hand over her face and Jughead moved to squeeze her shoulder lightly. He found himself thankful that everyone else was still in the cafeteria and hadn't witnessed that absolute shit show. They didn't need more questions.

"I'm so sorry guys. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to me." Veronica said and Betty shook her head.

"It's not your fault V." She said. "I know how Archie can get."

"I'm just gonna go back and get our bags from the cafeteria." Veronica said as she left them in the hall. Betty grabbed his hand and pulled him into the Blue and Gold offices where he turned the lock on the door to prevent anyone from coming in as he turned to her. She touched his face lightly.

"I'm sorry about Archie." She said. He shook his head.

"I can handle it." He assured her before he dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. "I was actually coming here for something else."

She moved away from him as she began straightening things on the desk.

"Oh?" She asked and that one word let him know that she knew exactly why he'd wanted to talk to her.

"The article." He said, gauging her reaction. She didn't look at him as she shrugged lightly.

"What about it?" She asked quietly.

"Why did you print it?" He asked. Her eyes snapped up to his then and he could see the surprise in them. She obviously hadn't expected the question.

"You don't like it?" She asked, her voice small and he sighed as he drew her into his arms again.

"It's a good article." He assured her as their eyes met. "But it isn't going to go over well with a lot of people. You're making yourself a target and I don't want you getting hurt."

"I can handle it Juggie." She said softly, the nickname making something akin to butterflies roll through his belly. "I know that not everyone is going to like it and I fully expect some complaints from parents and other students but it was important for me to publish it. I just want people to see what I see when I look at you and the other serpents. I know that not everything is rose colored on the south side, I even know that there are things I don't know about the serpents that are likely not legal, but regardless of that you're good people and you deserve better. I just want to help in any way that I can, come what may."

"I love you." The words slipped from his lips softly before he had a chance to register it in his mind and prevent it. Her sharp intake of breath made him realize what he'd said very quickly and he froze as his heart started racing and he waited for her reaction. She pulled back from him and her eyes searched his face like she was looking for something before she pulled him down into a deep kiss which he returned readily even though his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest the longer it took for her to say something. When she broke from the kiss she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck.

"I love you too." She whispered the words against his skin and his mind was suddenly calmed from the racing thoughts as he held her close. When she'd first approached him he'd never expected to fall in love but now he was thankful that she chose him and not someone else. He couldn't imagine missing out on this feeling. Whatever consequences came from the article, they'd face them together. 


	21. Chapter 21

Betty could feel the eyes on her the entire day and she almost wanted to spin around and yell 'boo', she bet someone would jump. She ignored all the looks as she moved through her day. The article was important to her and she didn't care what they all thought of it. She knew that some of them were indifferent to the contents of the article and some even agreed with her but the people who disapproved always managed to make themselves be heard above everyone else. Veronica stayed by her side, a silent pillar of support, while Cheryl made it obvious that she approved of the message. Cheryl still had pull at the school so her support discouraged most of the students from outright saying something about it.

The day went by relatively quickly leaving Veronica and Betty to make their way to the gym for cheerleading practice. They'd just gotten changed into their practice uniforms and began stretches when the football team, lead by Coach Clayton, came into the gym. They informed Cheryl that they needed to practice inside because of the heavy rain outside so she reluctantly gave up half of the gym space to them. They began running drills as Cheryl lead them through the rest of their stretches before she began to show them the new choreography for the new cheer that she'd worked out. Toni, Veronica and Betty stayed near the edge of the group as they worked on the moves together.

"Hey Toni, do you need a ride home later?" Betty asked her quietly so she didn't disrupt the rest of the group. "Riding home on a motorcycle in a downpour doesn't sound particularly fun."

"I'm okay Betty. I rode to school with Cheryl so she's gonna take me home later." She said and Veronica and Betty shared a look before they both turned to look at Toni.

"You rode to school with Cheryl?" Veronica asked as her face broke out in a grin. "Toni Topaz, you slut."

"Oh shut up." Toni said as her cheeks flamed. Veronica laughed quietly in astonishment.

"Oh my god, you actually stayed overnight with her didn't you?" She asked. "You're sleeping with her."

"You two have literally been on one date." Betty pitched in, her voice holding surprise. Toni rolled her eyes.

"Right, says the girl that slept with Jughead before you even had a date." She said and Betty shrugged.

"Okay, point taken." She said.

"Girls!" Cheryl snapped. "Pay attention." 

"Sorry Cheryl." They all echoed at the same time before they began to pay attention again. She had moved on to a new part of the routine so they had to scramble to catch up leaving them no more time to gossip.

After they'd learned all the moves, Cheryl made them run through the entire routine a couple of times to make sure they had it down before she put on the music so that they could time the moves to the song accurately. It was a bit sloppy on the first run through with music, with a couple of the cheerleaders seeming to forget a few steps, so Cheryl made them run it again and again until it was mostly perfected. Betty was sweating lightly due to the exertion but eventually Cheryl seemed to decided that it was good enough for now and let them take a break, intent on coming back and working out the second routine she had come up with, so Betty, Veronica and Toni collapsed in a circle in the corner as they each drank from their water bottles. It was only about a minute later when Cheryl came over to sit next to them after she had turned off the music. She sat close to Toni and slung her arm around the smaller girl making Veronica and Betty grin at them.

"You guys are adorable." Veronica squealed and Cheryl rolled her eyes.

"Of course we are, but really is anyone surprised?" She asked and Betty rolled her eyes.

"Okay Queen Cheryl, you're not that important." She said teasingly.

"Oh Cousin Betty, I disagree I'm very important." Cheryl said before a grin crossed her face. "But I'm more interested in your _friend_ from the south side who _showed you around._ "

"For god's sake Cheryl, don't make it sound so dirty." Betty said as her cheeks flushed. "He really did show me around."

"Oh I'm sure he did." Cheryl said, looking like that cat that ate the canary and Toni laughed next to her.

"Be nice babe, she's the first person to print a positive article about the south side, I don't want to scare her away." Toni said with a grin.

"Not likely." Betty said with a small laugh.

"So, who is it?" Cheryl asked, refusing to be distracted from her questioning. Betty sighed as she glanced around but there was no one close enough to them to eavesdrop so she figured it was okay to let her cousin in on the secret. She'd figured it out eventually anyway if she continued dating Toni.

"Jughead Jones." Betty said quietly and Cheryl's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Serpent Prince, really?" She asked as she studied Betty for a long moment with her lips pursed before she nodded. "You know, I can see it actually. It makes a certain kind of sense."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Veronica asked next to her. "I don't think they look like a pair anyone would expect."

"They're the same." Cheryl said simply with a shrug of her shoulders. "They may look different on the outside but I know for a fact that Betty is a bookworm and I've seen Jones slinking around with think literary works as well. They both are always surrounded by people, they are by nature, leaders after all but they prefer to be alone or with a very small group. And last, but not least, they're both total smoke shows without even trying or realizing it. So, like I said, it makes sense."

"Cheryl." Betty protested lightly as she blushed and Cheryl shrugged.

"It's just the truth." She said before they were interrupted by a throat clearing.

They all looked up to see Archie standing at the edge of their group and his hand was rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at Betty. She sighed and prayed that he wasn't there to start another argument.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked.

"Archie..." Veronica started but he shook his head.

"I'm not going to start something, I promise. I just want to talk." He said.

"It's okay V." Betty said as she stood from the group and followed Archie to the corner of the gym, away from both the cheerleaders and the football players, as he seemed to steady himself as he turned to her.

"I just need to say something without you interrupting. Can I do that?" He asked and Betty sighed again as she crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.

"Okay." She said. He nodded jerkily before taking a deep breath.

"I don't like it. You being with a south side serpent, especially Jughead Jones who seems to be their leader." Betty opened her mouth to protest before Archie raised a hand to stop her. "No interrupting remember? Anyway, I don't like it, but I did what you said and I took a minute to truly think about what you and Veronica have both been saying to me instead of just letting my anger and disapproval rule my thoughts. You're my best friend Betty, you always have been, and I don't want to lose you so I'm going to explain to you how I'm feeling and then I'm going to get over myself and figure out how to deal with your relationship."

"I'm glad Archie." She said and he gave her a look. She mimed zipping her lips and waved for him to continue.

"I've known you my entire life and we grew up together. You're like the sister I never had and, like a big brother, I'm protective of you. I've protected you our entire lives and it's hard to let that part of me go. I want what's best for you and I couldn't make dating a southside serpent fit into that idea but I realize that that isn't my decision to make. I messed up and said some stupid things but you were right all along, you're capable of making your own decisions and I just have to trust that you know what you're doing, so I don't like your relationship _but_ I'll support you because it's what makes you happy. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, it wasn't cool and I know that it hurt you, which is something I never wanted to do." Archie finished the speech quietly and Betty gave him a small smile.

"Thank you Arch, for apologizing and for the rest of it." She said as she pulled him into a hug. "I think if you got to know Jughead then you might actually like him."

"I doubt that." Archie said gruffly and Betty raised an eyebrow. "But I'll deal with him, I guess."

"Good." She said as she glanced over her shoulder. "We should probably get back to practice."

"Yeah." He agreed sheepishly. 

Betty spun to make her way back to the cheerleading team, who were back on their feet as Cheryl was making them stretch once more, but her view of them was suddenly blocked by a broad chest and Betty barely avoided running smack into it. Her eyes rose and she found Chuck Clayton in front of her which made her glace back at the football players who were running drills again but since Chuck's own father was coach she didn't think he cared much that his son was slacking. Archie had paused in his steps back to the team as he kept his eyes on them warily.

Betty sighed as she turned back to Chuck and raised an eyebrow at him. She knew he was one of the students that was vehemently against the south side so it didn't surprise her that he was standing before her right now. He probably hated the article that she'd published.

"Can I help you Chuck?" She asked, her voice casual.

"You should take down that stupid article Cooper." He said, an edge in his voice that indicating that he was trying to be intimidating but Betty just rolled her eyes.

"Why would I do that?" She asked. "I'm quite proud of it. It took weeks of research to do."

"The south side and those stupid fucking Serpents are a blight on this town." He snapped. "That article is full of lies."

"Contrary to popular belief my article holds more truth than any of the others that have been published about the subject because I actually took time to do proper research instead of spewing recycled bullshit lies." She said, allowing the annoyance to show in her voice. "I'm not taking it down so if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to practice."

He caught her arm in his grip as she tried to walk away. "Which one are you fucking Cooper? Which one of those south side pieces if shit got the perfect girl next door to lie for them?"

"Let her go Chuck." Archie said, finally intervening as he stepped up next to them.

"You can't honestly support that fucking article Andrews." Chuck growled and Archie shrugged.

"Not a big fan of the article." He said. "But she is still my best friend so _let her go_." 

Chuck and Archie stared at each other for a long moment before Chuck rolled his eyes and released her arm. Betty took the opportunity to bounce back over to stand next to Veronica after throwing a look of thanks to Archie. She rubbed her hand over her sore arm before she began following Cheryl's movements. Veronica gave her a look before she mouthed _Are you okay?_ Betty nodded before spending the rest of practice avoiding the gaze of the angry boy on the other side of the gym.

* * *

Betty was exhausted by the time she got home so she was annoyed when she heard her mother call her name the moment the front door clicked closed behind her. She sighed as she turned to trudge into the kitchen where her mother's voice had come from and she found her mother staring at a copy of the article from the Blue and Gold website.

"What?" Betty asked and her mother looked up at her with her hands on her hips.

"Do you have any idea how may calls I've gotten today from parents complaining about this article?" She snapped and Betty rolled her eyes.

"Why would they call you? It's the school newspaper." Betty said.

"But you're _my_ daughter." Her mother said as if that explained anything. "Why would you print this Elizabeth?"

"People deserve to know the truth rather than that crap you print in your articles." She snapped, thoroughly annoyed already.

"The south side isn't some nice lovely place Betty. It's filled with degenerates and criminals." Her mother said. "And don't think I missed the fact in the article that you've been spending time there. I don't want you going to the south side anymore."

"Oh okay, so we're just going to pretend that you're not from the south side then?" Betty asked and she saw her mother's eyes widen. "Or what about the fact that you were a Serpent yourself? I wonder what all your readers would have to say if they knew that."

"How do _you_ know that?" Her mother asked.

"Because the people you left behind on the south side are still there and willing to talk to me." Betty informed her. "How could you write those articles trashing the south side and the Serpents when they're people you grew up with, your friends even? Are you so caught up in being the perfect north side housewife that you've forgotten where you came from? The people on the south side are good people and you just throw everything that you have at them, rumors and lies mostly, and it doesn't even seem to phase you. Do you even care?" 

Her mother stared at her with her mouth hanging open and Betty scoffed.

"It doesn't even matter." She sighed. "I'm done having this argument today."

She spun on her heal and left the room without giving her mother a chance to respond and made her way up to her room. She went into her bathroom and locked the door as she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower, turning the heat up as high as it would go as she relaxed against the wall, allowing the water to wash away the stress of the day. She'd known that the article would be slightly controversial but what she hadn't been prepared for was that her own mother would be so against it. She realized that despite what her mother wrote in the Register that after Betty had learned that she came from the south side, in the back of her mind she had expected her mother to be proud of the article. That obviously wasn't the case and, though she didn't want to admit it, it made her feel disappointed.


	22. Chapter 22

Jughead woke early to the smell of coffee floating through the trailer and he rolled out of bed to make his way into the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table, his cup of coffee already in front of him, with a paper sitting in front of him with a familiar article. Jughead sighed as he got his own cup of coffee before he joined his father at the table. They sat quietly for a moment until his father cleared his throat making Jughead look up to meet his eyes.

"What?" Jughead asked and his father shrugged as he shifted the paper slightly.

"It's a good article." His father said quietly as he stared at him.

"But?" Jughead asked as he could hear the hesitation in his father's voice.

"But, people on the north side aren't going to like it." His father said. "It points out the truth to them from the mouth of one of their own and they aren't going to appreciate it. They don't like when someone messes with the status quo and tries to make them see beyond their prejudices. They don't like their version of the truth to be challenged or questioned."

"I already told her that publishing this article would make her a target." Jughead sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even worse than it was. "She wouldn't take it down. Betty is....stubborn, it's one of the things I love about her but it also means that when she digs her heals in there's no getting her to change her mind. We're just going to have to deal with the fallout together. I'll make sure that she's safe."

"Love?" His father asked, his voice full of surprise and Jughead looked at him in confusion.

"What?" He asked. His father gave him a look.

"You said her stubborness is one thing you _love_ about her." His father answered and Jughead flushed red. 

"Oh." Jughead said, embarrassed. He hadn't really meant to say it but now that it was out there he obviously couldn't deny it. His father seemed to study him for a moment as he sipped his coffee before he spoke again.

"So, the two of you, it's serious then?" His father asked and Jughead shrugged lightly as he leaned his arms on the table.

"I never meant for it to get serious and neither did she." He explained. "But somewhere along the line it just happened. She became important without me realizing it."

"You love her." It wasn't a question but he answered it anyway.

"I do, yeah." He said and his father sighed before nodding.

"Well, I suppose you could do worse." He said.

They fell quiet for a moment before a knock came at the door and they glanced at each other in confusion for a moment. His father shrugged and stood from the table to move to the door and open it. Standing on the other side of it was Betty, who his father stood by and let in easily. She had her backpack slung over her shoulder as her eyes landed on him and Jughead stared at her in confusion for a full minute before his father cleared his throat, making them both jump slightly with them having forgotten he was there.

"I'm gonna head out Jug." He said as he shrugged into his jacket. "Lots to do at the Wyrm."

His father disappeared out the door without any further words and Betty sighed as she moved to take the seat at the table that he'd vacated. Jughead studied her for a long moment before reaching out to take her hand in his, which gained him her full attention. She looked sad and strangely like she hadn't slept and it worried him.

"Is something wrong Betty?" He asked quietly. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I just..." She trailed off as she chewed on her lip before she blew out a long breath. "I just needed to get out of the house, away from my mom, and you told me once that I could always come here if I wanted to get away for a while."

"I mean, of course you can, and we don't have to but....do you want to talk about it?" He asked. She stayed quiet for a moment, her eyes having found the article that his father had left on the table and she picked at the corner of the paper.

"My mom and I got into an argument when I got home yesterday about this article." She explained quietly and he nodded even though she wasn't looking at him. "I thought, for some reason, that she'd be proud of me but she wasn't. She told me that she didn't want me coming to the south side anymore which I obviously am going to ignore. I just don't understand her."

"What do you mean?" He asked quietly, prompting her to speak again. He knew she wasn't really talking to him but rather using him as a sounding board to collect her thoughts so he was trying to help her work through whatever it was she was dealing with.

"I mean, she came from this part of town. She grew up here, with these people, but she's always ready to take a shot at them in her articles." She said, her voice full of exasperation. "It's like she doesn't even care. These people used to be her friends but she turned on them just because she married someone from the north side. It's like she thinks that she has to prove to the north side that she's no longer that girl that came from the south side and married up. I hate it because I think your father is right, she sacrificed a part of herself to marry my father and she turned her back on all of this. I just don't understand."

"Things were different when she lived here than they are now." Jughead said quietly, making Betty finally look up at him and he shrugged lightly as their eyes met. "Back then they didn't have the food pantry or any of the other outreach programs that they do now. Maybe she found it so easy to turn her back on it all because the south side that she remembers wasn't a good place to live. It was worse than it is now and that's what she remembers because it's what she grew up dealing with and she hasn't been back to see all the changes that have taken place so to her it's always going to be that dark place that she needed to escape from. I don't like that she always prints lies and takes shots at us in the register but I _get_ it. I also get why she doesn't want you to come to the south side, she's trying to protect you."

"Oh yeah, you gonna kick me out Jones? Make me go back to the north side where it's safe." She asked with an edge of teasing in her voice.

"Of course not, I love having you around." He said with a grin as he kissed her softly before he grew serious again. "But really, you should try talking to your mom again. Listen to what she has to say before explaining your side to her. Maybe you can get her to see that things are different now."

"I don't know Jug. My mom can be pretty adamant when she has her ideas set, she doesn't change her mind easily." Betty said and Jughead nodded.

"Knew you had to get that from somewhere." He teased. "But seriously, I don't want to be a source of problems between you and your mother."

"Believe me, you are far from the only problem between me and my mother." Betty sighed.

"I know but still, I don't want to add to it." He said quietly. "Plus, I will have to meet her eventually and I want her to actually like me and not just want to kill me on the spot."

Betty laughed softly which is what he was going for so he smiled softly as he pulled her in for another kiss which she happily returned. When they pulled back Jughead caught sight of the clock and sighed as he got up from the table and put his cup in the sink along with his fathers.

"I need to get dressed or we'll be late for school." He said and Betty nodded.

"I'll wait for you." She said. He nodded as he made his way to his bedroom and quickly got dressed.

Betty had left her seat at the table and was waiting by the front door when he came back out and she smiled at him. He led her out of the trailer and locked the door behind him before they made their way to his motorcycle and he glanced at her as he thought of something.

"Us showing up together is going to send a pretty serious message." He said and she nodded quietly as she glanced at him.

"Do you not want people to know?" She asked quietly. "I know we said we'd keep it secret. I could walk home and drive my own car or you could drop me off there."

"Hey." He said as he cupped her face in his hands. "I don't care if the whole town of Riverdale knows that I love you. Let them talk."

"Good." She said with a wide smile as she kissed him once more. "Let's go then."

The ride to the school seemed shorter than normal so that when they parked in the parking lot, there were still plenty of people out and about as they waited for school to start. Betty climbed off of the bike and Jughead was quick to follow and he couldn't help but notice the looks they were already getting. He took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Betty as they began toward the school and he knew that the hold he had on her was too intimate to be just friends and likely everyone would be able to tell but if they were going to do this he wasn't going to do it halfway.

As they stepped into the school, where a majority of the students were in the hallways, he could hear the whispers start immediately coupled with surprised looks from all around. He caught Toni's eye from where she was standing next to Cheryl and she had a light smirk on her face making him roll his eyes, she was enjoying this far too much for his liking. They stopped at Betty's locker and he noted that she seemed exceptionally calm considering the fact that everyone in the school was likely gossiping about them already. She collected the books she needed from her locker right before the first bell sounded, warning everyone in the halls that the school day was about to officially start, but everyone was so engrossed in them that they ignored it.

Jughead heard Betty huff and saw her roll her eyes moments before she spun to him and pulled him by the front of his jacket to place a thorough kiss on his lips. He melted back into the lockers as his hands tightened on her waist until she pulled back and smiled at him with bright eyes before she turned to the rest of the hallway where some of the students were literally staring with their mouths hanging open.

"There." Betty said firmly. "Now everyone can stop staring and we can all go to class."

She grabbed his hand and jerked him down the hallway toward their first class through the silent students around him and Jughead heard someone laughing quietly and knew without looking that it was Toni again. He rolled his eyes even though his cheeks were slightly flushed from a mixture of the kiss and the attention he wasn't used to receiving from his fellow students. They'd obviously all known who he was before and they'd gossiped about him enough because of his position as a serpent but they'd never looked at him quiet like they were now and he knew it was because of Betty.

He knew that the whole student body was looking at them and wondering when and how they'd happened and he was sure that by lunchtime they'd all have some interesting theories but he doubted that a single one of them would be anywhere close to the truth. He could hardly believe the truth himself and he'd been there. Jughead had known Betty for most of his life, it was the same for most of the kids they went to school with due to living in such a small town, but she'd always been on the fringes of his awareness. She was the perfect girl next door, the girl scout, the helping hand, the perfect small town american girl so when she'd first approached him about sex he'd been more shocked than he'd ever been in his life. It just hadn't seemed to fit the narrative of her that he'd built in his head. 

He'd said yes partly because he hadn't actually expected her to show up but then she had and they'd began a relationship that he'd had no idea would grow into what it was now. He'd learned so much about her that he hadn't expected, mainly the fact that this perfect image she presented to people was all a facade. She wasn't perfect, he knew that, but that was okay. He'd gotten to know the real Betty Cooper, the one behind all of the walls she'd built up, and she was beautiful and flawed and he loved her. Her article and her display in the hall told him something, she was ready to drop the facade and let people see who she really was. Not perfect, not prim and proper, but still happy. He was glad to stand by her side as she began to show the real her underneath it all.

Class seemed to pass quickly and then it was back out into the hallways and the stares but Jughead pointedly ignored them this time as he walked Betty to her class. She turned to him as they were about to part ways and she had a hesitant look on her face that made him a bit wary as she looked at him.

"By the way, Archie and I talked." She spoke quietly. "He apologized, for real this time, and V and I thought it would be a good idea for the two of you to spend some time together and get to know one another so we set up a double date. V and I will be there as buffers."

"Really?" He groaned. "You want me to share a meal with him? Come on Betts, the guy hates me."

"He's my best friend Juggie." She said as she looked at him from under her lashes. "Please."

"Ugh, fine." He groaned, unable to resist her pleading. Her face lit up in happiness and she grinned at him as she bounced forward and kissed him quickly.

"Thank you." She exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not saying that it'll be a pleasant evening but I'll try." He said. "Anything for you, Betty Cooper."

"I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too." He said before kissing her one last time. As he turned away from her to continue on to his own class he made a mental note to practice resisting her puppy dog eyes because they generally got him into situations that he would rather avoid, like having dinner with Archie Andrews. He had a feeling that it wasn't going to end well.


	23. Chapter 23

The idea to have dinner at Pop's was Betty's idea, some familiar footing for all of them. Veronica had wanted to get a reservation at some fancy restaurant in Greendale but she knew that a place like that wasn't really Jughead's style and would probably make him grumpier than the idea of sharing a meal with Archie already did. Plus if the night devolved into an argument between the two boys she figured that a fancy restaurant was probably not the best place to be. Veronica had grudgingly agreed and so they were now all crammed into a booth at Pop's after a long day at school and the awkward silence at the table just made the whole situation worse. 

"So." Veronica spoke but when they looked at her she didn't seem to have anything to follow the word with. Betty sighed and cleared.

"Okay, we can all admit that this is awkward and uncomfortable." She said as she glanced at each of the boys in turn. "But you two said you'd make an effort so at the very least, you could say hi to each other."

"Right, sorry Betty." Archie said as his shoulders hunched slightly like he was being reprimanded before he glanced at Jughead for the first time since they'd sat down. "I guess I should start with an apology, you know, for yelling at you in the hallway."

"It's fine." Jughead said quietly. "You were trying to protect Betty, I get it. You went a little far but..."

"Okay!" Veronica exclaimed. "Who's ready to order?" 

She lifted the menu and shook it lightly like she was trying to get her point across despite the fact that none of them even had to look at the menu anymore to order because they all knew what it said. Betty raised an eyebrow at her as they all gave their orders to the waitress, who brought back their milkshakes only a few moments later.

"So, now that all of the apologies are out of the way, we can move on." Betty said, looking at them once more as she sipped her drink before pointedly changing the subject. "How's football going Arch?"

"Good." He said, genuine excitement in his voice. "Coach says I'm in line for captain if I do good at the next game."

"Oh yeah? Who else is being considered." Veronica asked.

"Reggie and Chuck." Archie said and Jughead snorted making them all look at him. Betty gave him a look of warning as Archie turned to glare at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Jughead said with a light shrug. "Just, you might not want to get your hopes up. You probably won't get it."

"What the hell do you know? It's not like you even come to the games, you don't know what I can do." Archie said.

"I'm not insulting your skills, boy wonder, I'm just saying that it's unlikely that you'll be named captain when Chuck is in the running. His father is probably just giving you and Reggie a "chance" so that it seems fair when he names his son as the captain." Jughead shrugged again. "It's good old fashioned nepotism."

"You don't know that!" Archie exclaimed angrily making Veronica and Betty exchange a look before Betty rested her hand on Jughead's arm lightly, making him look at her, and he sighed softly.

"You're right." Jughead said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I could be wrong. Good luck I guess."

"Oh B, I read your article." Veronica said in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "I thought it was great."

"Thanks V, I worked really hard on it." She said, glancing at Archie who seemed to be letting them change the subject without argument. She could tell that he really was trying to make this work. 

"I still think you should take it down." Jughead said quietly and she saw Archie's eyes flicker to him.

"I thought you were the one who asked her to write it." He said, his voice showing confusion and Jughead shook his head.

"No, in fact I told her it was a bad idea." Jughead said making Betty roll her eyes.

"Seriously it's not a big deal Jug." She said, already exasperated by this conversation. "It was something that needed to be said."

"Yeah, but maybe not when the whole of the north side actively dislikes you now." He said, turning to look at her.

"Okay, that's a little dramatic." She said. "Archie and Veronica don't dislike me and neither does Cheryl."

"That doesn't really help your argument." He said, his voice sarcastic.

"You really didn't ask her to publish it?" Archie said in surprise as he glanced between them. "Why did you write it then?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Veronica asked before Betty could say anything. "I thought she made a good point in her article. Everyone on the north side is so concerned with status and the people from the south side that I've met have all been mostly friendly. I don't know why everyone is making it a big deal."

"I wrote it because it's time someone from the north side stood up and pointed out something that the people from the south side have been shouting for years. Maybe now people will start to listen." Betty said, answering Archie question. "It was something that I felt was important to speak about."

"See." Veronica said with a smile. "Betty knows what she's talking about. This whole small town mentality is exhausting sometimes. When I lived in New York, there were people from all different backgrounds living in the same apartment buildings and no one gave a damn. From what I've seen the Serpents don't do anything in the north side other than attend school. There's no crimes or any of that BS, so maybe we should all calm down."

Archie glanced at her for a moment before he sighed. "Maybe she's right."

"Of course I am." Veronica said proudly. Archie looked at Jughead and sighed again.

"Okay, so maybe you're not so bad." He said, sounding reluctant but resigned to his fate. "Betty's been hanging out with you for weeks and she cares about you so you can't be that awful. Maybe I judged you to harshly."

Jughead glanced at Betty for a moment like he wasn't sure how to respond to that and she gave him a soft smile as she gave his hand a light squeeze. He returned the smile before he looked at Archie once again.

"Look, I get it. The serpents have a certain reputation which is likely the reason you didn't want Betty getting involved but we're not so bad, you know. No one would ever do anything to hurt her on the south side, I'd never do anything to hurt her. We may seem intimidating if you don't know us but we're really not. Betty saw through all of the north side prejudices to the people underneath and maybe if you gave us a chance, you would too." Jughead said seriously as Archie nodded. "Besides, your Betty's best friend so you and I are likely going to be seeing a lot of each other so we might as well get over the whole north side/south side prejudice. I'm willing to put it all behind us if you are."

"Deal." Archie said and Betty smiled at both of them. 

The food came then and they all began eating, the awkward air around the table now dissipated. They made small talk for the rest of the meal and, though Archie and Jughead didn't interact with one another directly, it made Betty feel better about everything because they weren't fighting. Both boys were important to her in different ways and she didn't want the conflict between them to continue so she was glad that they had each said things that they needed to. She knew it was still a long road before they would hopefully count each other as friends but it was a start at least. 

Once the food had been consumed Betty and Veronica shared a look before Veronica made a point of checking her phone for the text that they'd set up for Toni to send them earlier in the day prompting them to leave for a "sleepover". Betty had been reluctant to agree to the plan when Veronica had first presented it to her but eventually she had caved. They were going to leave the boys alone together to hopefully foster a better relationship while she and Veronica went to the Pembrooke. Veronica wanted to get her opinion on some outfits that she'd bought recently and Toni was going to keep their cover story if Jughead asked about the sleepover. She was actually spending the night with Cheryl so he wouldn't accidentally run into her in Sunnyside. 

Betty had been afraid at the beginning of the date that they'd get into a fight if they left them alone but now that they'd cleared the air and it hadn't resulted in an argument she felt much more comfortable leaving them on their own. She knew that they probably wouldn't stay at Pop's together much longer after she and Veronica left but she hoped that they stayed long enough to at least talk a little without their presence. She wanted desperately for them to get along.

"You're leaving?" Archie asked, glancing at them when Veronica made the announcement.

"Toni wants our opinion on some outfit that she's just bought." Veronica said, sounding as if they hadn't rehearsed this before.

"You guys can stay here though." Betty said with a slight shrug. "You can talk or something. You don't have to leave on our account."

The look Jughead gave her told her that he wasn't buying their act for a second so she gave him a soft apologetic smile and leaned over to kiss him. When she pulled back she bit her lip lightly as she glanced at Archie.

"Be nice." She said softly.

"No promises." He answered back with an edge of teasing in his voice and she rolled her eyes at him. He smirked as he pulled her back in for a second kiss. "Don't worry. I won't start a fight or anything."

"I'll talk to you later?" She asked as she pulled away from him completely lest she get distracted again.

"I'll call you." He confirmed.

"Bye Arch." Betty said as she turned to see him staring at them like he couldn't quite believe what he had just seen. Her voice seemed to snap him out of it as his eyes snapped to hers.

"Bye Betty." He said softly and Veronica grabbed her by the worst and pulled her out of the diner and into the sleek black car that had pulled up just as they came outside. Betty glanced over her shoulder and could see the boys sitting across from each other through the window but neither of them seemed to be speaking.

"You think they're going to be okay?" She asked as the car pulled away and Veronica rolled her eyes.

"They're big boys Betty, they can handle themselves." She said. 

"But what if they start arguing?" She asked and Veronica shrugged.

"Then they'll just have to get over it." She said. "Besides if they get to bad then Pop Tate will have no problem throwing them out."

"That's not helping Veronica." She said as she looked at her.

"Seriously B, they'll be fine." She said, her voice going gentle. "They may both be filled with to much extra testosterone but they know how important this is to you. They're not going to screw it up."

"I hope you're right." Betty said quietly. She trusted them both not to do something stupid in the middle of Pop's, especially considering that they'd talked and cleared the air, but she was still nervous. This was important to her.

* * *

They were laying on Veronica's bed after she'd tried on about a mountain of clothes that she'd bought and Betty had given her opinion on them so now they were just gossiping. 

"You know, you're a lot kinkier than I thought you'd be." Veronica said making Betty flush lightly. "I mean the whole bondage thing kind of freaks me out. I think I'd feel constricted if I couldn't get myself free."

"It makes me feel....secure." Betty said with a shrug. "And I trust Jughead so it doesn't scare me. We have a safe word that I could use if it got to be to much and I needed him to let me go or vice versa."

"Well more power to you both for being able to do it but I just couldn't." Veronica said before she grinned at Betty. "It's strange, before you started having sex with Jughead I didn't realize just how vanilla Archie and I were."

"You know there are plenty of other ways to explore sexually that doesn't involve being tied down." Betty said teasingly. "Just saying."

"I'm pretty happy with the way we're doing things but I'll keep that in mind." Veronica answered.

"Right well, if you ever want to step out of your comfort zone in the future just call me. I did a lot of research before I started having sex." Betty said and Veronica laughed softly.

"Of course you did. Extensive research before sex is such a Betty thing to do." She said making Betty shrug lightly. Jughead had said something similar when they first started sleeping together so she supposed that it was true. She had a tendency to overthink things. "Anyway, moving away from boys, what's up with Toni and Cheryl? Did you know that Toni liked Cheryl?"

"Of course." Betty said. "It's why I got her the try out for the team, I knew Cheryl wouldn't be able to ignore her if she was on the team and we both know how Cheryl gets about the uniform. She was lost when Toni put it on."

"Seriously, you'd think it wouldn't affect her. She sees the uniform all the time but put an attractive girl in one and she about loses it." Veronica agreed.

"I have always secretly thought that staring at girls in the uniform was the reason why she became a cheerleader in the first place." Betty said making them both laugh.

"It makes sense." Veronica said in agreement. "But seriously, how did you know Toni liked her? I didn't think you guys were friends before now."

"Toni is Jughead's best friend so I saw her around a lot while I was hanging out with him and we got to know each other." Betty explained. "I had a suspicion that she liked Cheryl but it was confirmed when I overheard her and Jughead talking about it the morning after I stayed over. She didn't know I was there." 

"Oh." Veronica nodded as she studied Betty for a moment. "So, you and Jughead, what's that about? You guys have been sleeping together for weeks, which I knew about, but when you said goodbye to him at Pop's it seemed more serious than that and you're trying to get him and Archie to talk and become friends or at least not hate each other. Plus that article you published where you said you'd been spending a lot of time in the south side, doing things that obviously aren't sex, so..."

"I like him." Betty said before shaking her head lightly. "No, I love him. It started out as sex but the more time I spent with him, the more I began to like him, and the feeling grew after that. He's important to me."

"Have you told him that?" Veronica asked softly.

"Yeah." Betty said as a soft smile made it's way onto her face. 

"Well, I approve." Veronica said. "Even more than I did before."

"Thanks V." Betty said as her phone beeped. She turned on the bed and grabbed it from the bedside table to find a text from her mother urging her to come home because it was getting late and a glance out the window told Betty that she'd been here longer than she had thought. "I gotta go before my mom sends out a search party."

"Okay, I'll see you at school tomorrow." Veronica said as they exchanged a hug. "Do you want a ride home? I can get Smithers to take you."

"No, I'm fine." Betty declined. "It's a nice night. I'll walk. I want to savor the last of the warm weather before it gets cold again."

"If you're sure." Veronica said and Betty nodded.

"I am. I'll see you tomorrow." She said echoing the words Veronica had spoken moments before.

Betty made her way out of the apartment that Veronica lived in and into the elevator to the first floor. The doorman held the door open for her and she gave him a smile as she left and started toward her own house. It wasn't quite dark yet but it would be soon so she hurried her steps a little. She knew that if she wasn't home by the time night fell that her mother would have some choice words for her. 

While she was walking, she took the time to admire the leaves that had begun changing. Fall was her favorite time of year, it always had been, and she loved when the leaves began to change. She knew technically that the color changing meant that the leaves were dying but she always thought that it was a beautiful kind of death, one that meant changes but not a true ending. There was a slight breeze blowing, bringing the smell of fresh overturned earth and hay to her that never failed to remind her of halloween, as she walked down the sidewalk. 

The roads were quiet and she knew that most people would be home right now. Riverdale was like a lot of other small towns in america in the way that everything got quiet after a certain time in the evening when everyone retired to their homes. There weren't any clubs or bars that stayed open all night, at least on the north side, so no one was out and about. Although that wasn't always a good thing.

Betty wanted to roll her eyes when she saw Chuck on the other side of the street. He'd been walking in the opposite direction, doing god only knows what at this time in the evening, but when he saw her he crossed the street and she knew he was going to say something about the article before he even opened his mouth.

"I know why you wrote the article now Cooper." He said, his body language projecting aggression and she sighed quietly. "Tell me, how does it feel to be a serpent slut? Does he pass you around to his friends or do you do them all for free?"

"Really Chuck?" Betty scoffed. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. "Don't you have any original insults or are you too stupid to come up with them on your own?"

"Stupid bitch!" He spat as he stepped into her space. "If you're going to whore yourself out to south side scum, I want to see what you're about."

"Back off." Betty said, shoving him backwards as her heart started racing. If he pushed it there was no way she'd be able to fight him off. He outweighed her by a lot and he worked out, he was stronger than her.

"Or maybe I don't want to have you after he has." Chuck said. "God knows where he's been."

"Fuck you." Betty said as she tried to get around him. "Get out of my way."

"I don't think I will." He said, stepping in her way and pushing her back so hard that she stumbled. "You know what Cooper, I don't like your attitude. You're whoring your self out to a serpent and that fucking article is full of trash. You used to be a good north side girl but now, you're nothing but a slut."

"Jealous I didn't pick you to sleep with Chuck?" She spat. She wasn't going to let him see that he'd scared her, she just had to annoy him enough to get him to leave her alone and she could go home. "You couldn't fucking handle me."

She thought he'd say something, maybe protest her words, so she wasn't expecting it when he hit her. It sent her reeling as she fell onto the sidewalk and she felt the skin on her hands break from scrapping against the rough concrete. She didn't even get a chance to catch her breath before his foot connected with her side and she coughed as she tried to scramble backwards. She didn't get far before his foot connected with her side again so she curled into a ball as she tried to protect herself. He kicked her a few more times, ignoring her pleas for him to stop, until he was seemingly satisfied. He grabbed her by the arms and jerked her up onto her feet so quickly she saw stars.

"You can't fucking handle me you stupid bitch." He hissed into her face. "Don't tell anyone about this, not your serpent boyfriend or that wimp you call a best friend or next time, it'll be so much worse. This was a warning slut, don't cross me again."

He let her arms out of the tight bruising grip he'd held them in as he stepped away from her and began walking the direction he'd been going like nothing had happened. Betty blinked to try and focus her eyes as she began stumbling down the sidewalk toward her house. Everything hurt with each step she took and the dizziness floating around her mind wasn't helping but eventually she made it home.

She was thankful that her mother wasn't waiting in the living room and was elsewhere in the house because she knew she probably looked like a mess right now and the throbbing on the side of her face told her that she'd likely be sporting a bruise tomorrow that she hoped she'd be able to cover with makeup. She made her way upstairs and flipped the lock on her bedroom door before she laid gingerly in the bed and prodded gently on her side. She hit a spot that sent blinding pain through her and she whimpered softly as she writhed on the mattress.

She knew logically that she should probably go to the hospital but she knew she couldn't come up with a good story of what happened. She believed Chuck's threat because he'd looked so angry when delivering it and she didn't want to even think about provoking him. There had been something in his eyes that scared her. She knew if she went to the hospital that they'd insist on filing a police report, which meant that it would be all over town for people to hear about, namely Archie and Jughead and she knew that both of them would react badly and go after Chuck. She didn't want either of them getting hurt or going to jail.

She stood up from the bed which once again made stars float before her eyes and she knew that she likely had a concussion. He'd hit her pretty damn hard and he played football and was on the wrestling team so he had muscle which he'd put behind the hit. She stumbled almost blindly across the room and into the bathroom where she looked through the cabinet until she found some low level pain medication and she took a couple out of the bottle. She knew that taking pain medication right now was a bad idea but she was hurting and just wanted to go to sleep. 

Her hands were shaking as she popped the pills into her mouth and filled up a small cup with water and she wasn't sure if it was from the pain or the fact that she was still scared from the encounter. Her heart hadn't stopped racing and she wanted more than anything to call Jughead but she knew that he'd be able to hear how shaken up she was by her voice and he'd race over so she disregarded that impulse and instead made her way back to the bed where she pulled the blankets up over her gingerly, trying desperately not to touch her side. As she laid down, she finally let the emotions she'd been holding back and she began crying softly. She was scared and in pain and there was nothing that she could do about it. For the first time she felt helpless.


	24. Chapter 24

After Betty and Veronica left Pop's an awkward silence enveloped the table once more as the two boys looked at each other. Jughead was glad that Archie had apologized but that didn't make them friends and he wasn't sure how to proceed now that the buffer of the girls was gone. He contemplated making an excuse and leaving but he knew that it was important to Betty that they at least get along so he was going to make an effort.

"She's my best friend you know?" Archie said, startling Jughead as he didn't expect the other boy to start a conversation.

"I know." Jughead confirmed. Archie sighed and pressed his lips together.

"I'm gonna be honest here, I don't like you and I know that you don't like me but Betty's important to both of us so we need to figure out a way to get along." He said and Jughead nodded.

"You're right." He said as he leaned back against the booth. "I know that you have a problem with me being a Serpent, I know that's the reason that you don't like Betty being with me, so ask me anything and I'll tell you the truth."

"Really?" Archie asked and his voice held doubt. "Anything?"

"Anything." Jughead assured him. "But if you ask anything about any illegal dealings that you suspect the Southside Serpents of doing, you understand that I can't really say much about it. That being said, anything you ask about me personally I'll answer."

"Okay." Archie said. He bit his lip as he studied Jughead for a long moment, the look in his eye making Jughead slightly wary about what he was going to say. Archie took a moment to seemingly gather his thoughts before his eyes came up to meet Jughead's. "I only really have one question that I want the answer to. The Serpents are a gang and they all wear the same jacket, except for you, why is that? Why is yours different? I tried to ask Betty about it because I assumed that it meant that you'd done something really bad to, I don't know, earn that jacket. She said that you hadn't but she wouldn't explain it, which at the time made me even more worried because I thought that she was maybe covering for you or something."

"It isn't because I did something bad or anything like that." Jughead said after he processed the words Archie had said. "My father is the leader of the Serpents, that's not a secret everyone knows it, but his position in the gang allows me certain privileges and titles. He's the Serpent King which, by default, makes me the Serpent Prince. That's why my jacket is different, it marks me as someone with rank, but it's only because of who my father is. It isn't some symbol of some gruesome deed, it's really just politics."

"Oh." Archie said quietly before he sighed. "I may have misjudged you and your friends without even giving you a chance. The article that Betty put out points out the prejudice that the north side has against the south side but I didn't want to listen to it. I let the prejudices of the guys on the team to color my own perception so when Betty kept telling me that the south side and the serpents weren't bad I tuned her out, which is stupid, she's one of the smartest people I know but I wasn't raised with those prejudices. My father doesn't hold the same beliefs that the rest of the north side does, in fact I know that a lot of the guys on his crew are Serpents, and he taught me my whole life not to listen to those prejudices but I did like an idiot and it almost cost me my best friend." Archie looked up to meet his eyes once again and Jughead could see the regret lingering in them. "She cares about you, I can see it when she looks at you and I kept badgering her about your relationship because I couldn't pull my head out of my ass long enough to actually listen to her."

"You apologized. It's as good a place to start as any." Jughead said quietly and Archie nodded before he blew out a long breath.

"I know that I already apologized when the girls were here but I am genuinely sorry for everything." He said. "I had no right to say any of those things about you."

"It's okay." Jughead shrugged. He could tell that Archie was serious this time about the apology. "Us getting along is important to Betty and I know that we haven't been on the best terms with each other but now that we've cleared the air I think we can give it a try."

"Me too." Archie said and a small smile crossed his face. "I'll try not to be a dick."

"So will I." Jughead said, grinning at the other boy. Maybe being friends with Archie Andrews wouldn't be as difficult as he expected.

"We have a deal." Archie said, holding his hand out over the table. Jughead shook his head as he reached out to shake it. The night had gone better than he could have ever guessed it would. He and Archie parted ways shortly after that, each of them making their way to their own homes, both reassured by the talk they'd had and feeling like the night was a new beginning for all of them.

* * *

When Jughead got to school the next morning he noticed a few people glancing at him as he made his way down the hall but apparently he and Betty were no longer the gossip of the hour. It had only been a day so he was surprised they'd moved on so quickly but he figured out exactly why only about two seconds later when he saw Cheryl and Toni kissing in the middle of the hallway. Apparently their relationship was more interesting that his and Betty's but neither of them seemed to care about the stares, in fact Cheryl seemed to relish them, she had a penchant for drama so she was probably loving this. He rolled his eyes as he slipped quietly away from the display and into the Blue and Gold offices where he knew he'd fins Betty.

She was sitting at one of the desks and typing away on her computer, seemingly lost in her own thoughts, so that when he closed the door behind him she jumped and her eyes flew to him. He gave her an apologetic look. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He said and she shook her head.

"It's fine." She said but he could see that she was a bit jumpy and his brow furrowed as he studied her. She was holding herself stiffly in the chair and her eyes seemed to dart around nervously.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She spoke quickly. "Just trying to figure out what to write about. Can't miss the deadline."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked as he stepped closer to the desk and looked at her seriously. "You seem a bit jumpy is all." 

"No, I'm fine." She said and seemed to shake herself before she gave him a smile. "Really, I'm okay. There's just so much going on between figuring out a topic for the next article and cheerleading practice and the game tomorrow, I'm just trying to balance everything. I'm just a bit jumpy because I drank about four cups of coffee this morning."

"You hate coffee." Jughead said, staring at her and she shrugged. 

"Yeah, but I hate energy drinks more and I needed some fuel to keep me going until this afternoon." She said.

"You know, if it's to much I'm sure Cheryl would let you out of practice for the day." He said, concerned. She shook her head.

"We're learning two new routines. I can't afford to miss." She said.

"Fine, then stop worrying about the article. You've got time before you absolutely have to make a decision, so relax." He said softly. "You can't run yourself ragged or you'll be no good for any of it."

"You're right." She sighed out as she closed her eyes briefly. "The article can wait."

"Good." He said softly as he took her hand in his and pulled her to her feet gently to kiss her softly and he could taste the cherry flavored chap stick that she was wearing as he pulled back. "You're wearing makeup."

"You just now noticed that?" She asked with an edge of teasing in her voice but he could see a nervous look in her eyes that he couldn't quite figure out. What about the conversation was putting her on edge? 

"No, I'm just pointing it out." He said quietly as he studied her, trying to figure out what it was that was making her anxious but he couldn't think of anything. "Any special occasion?"

"No." Betty said quickly. "I just felt like it, I guess."

"That's valid." He said as the bell for class rang. He tried to pull Betty in again for a hug but she wiggled away from him as her eyes dropped to the floor.

"We should go, don't want to be late." She said as she stepped away from him an d he reached out to catch her wrist as he looked at her in confusion.

"Are we okay?" He asked. 

"Yeah, why wouldn't we be?" She asked but she still wasn't looking at him and it made his heart start racing as his thoughts rushed through his mind. What the hell had happened in between last night and now that was making her react this way?

"You're acting weird." He said and she sighed.

"Jug, we're gonna be late. Can we talk about this later?" She asked as she pulled away from him and started toward the door again without waiting for a response leaving Jughead staring after her in desperate confusion. He raced after her but didn't manage to catch her before she slipped into their classroom and he sighed as he followed her in. She didn't even glance at him as he passed, her eyes firmly on her notebook in front of her.

Jughead didn't focus on anything in that class as he stared at Betty trying to make sense of her sudden withdrawal from him. Everything last night had gone well, he and Archie had managed to come to an understanding and Betty had seemed happy when she left them so he didn't understand why she was no pulling away. He wondered for a moment if Archie had been less apologetic than he'd thought and had said something to Betty about it to make her react this way but he quickly pushed the thought away. He may not have always like Archie but he knew the other boy wasn't one to pretend to be your friend to your face and bad talk you behind your back so it couldn't have been that.

He'd forgotten to call her last night after he'd said that he would but he didn't think that would warrant this level of passive aggressive attitude. When she'd left for the night, she'd said that they were going to Cheryl's for a sleepover with her and Toni and maybe they'd said something that made Betty second guess their relationship but that didn't make sense either. Toni would have said something if they'd started badmouthing him and he didn't think any of them even would so that left him back at square one. Betty was pulling away and he didn't know why because she wouldn't talk to him, she just kept saying that everything was fine. He couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought about it. They were happy just last night but now she was pulling away. The thought of losing her made his chest ache but he didn't know how to make it better. He didn't know what had happened and he couldn't do anything but hope that she'd talk to him when she was ready and not just cut him out. She loved him, he knew that, so he'd just have to wait and hope that she'd come around. It was hell to even think about it.


	25. Chapter 25

Betty spent the day at school avoiding Jughead. She felt bad about it because she could see that it affected him but she knew that if he touched her to much that he'd accidentally hit the dark bruises on her side and she would have to explain what happened. She had finally managed to cover the dark bruise on her cheek that morning after putting on copious amounts of concealer so that no one could see it. She knew she should tell someone, she wanted to tell Jughead, but she was afraid of what would happen if she did. She'd thought about it the night before when she was having trouble falling asleep because of the pain and she was able to overcome the fear of Chuck's threat, she knew that if she reported him then he'd be arrested, but she didn't want to be seen as a victim.

She knew that Jughead was probably smart enough to avoid jail if he were to do something but she also knew that if he saw the bruises when they were here in school where he had easy access to Chuck that she wouldn't be able to calm him down before he did something violent and very public and no one would be able to deny it. She just wanted to forget that this had happened and move on without any drama but she knew that wasn't likely. The bruises would likely take weeks to heal completely and she couldn't avoid everyone for that long but maybe she could hold out until they didn't look so bad.

Moving around even a little made her side burn so by the time she made it to cheerleading practice after school she almost thought she'd pass out from the pain so she popped a few more pain pills and made her way to the gym. She must have looked worse than she thought because when she took her place next to Veronica and Toni, Cheryl looked at her with wide eyes from the front of the group.

"Okay, you are not cheering today Betty. You look like hell." She said and Betty blew out a breath.

"I'm fine Cheryl." She said but the words sounded weak even to her and she was secretly glad that she wouldn't have to jump around today.

"Seriously Betty. You look really pale." Cheryl said, her voice showing actual concern. "Go home and rest for the day, we can work on the routines together later. I'll come over."

"Okay." Betty acquiesced and stepped out of the group and made her way back to the changing rooms with they eyes of her friends following her. 

When she got into the locker room she dropped the dufflebag to the floor and rubbed her shoulder where the strap had been digging into her skin as she sat on the bench. She felt slightly dizzy and sweaty and she wasn't sure if it was because of the pain radiating through her side or the obvious concussion that she knew she had to have. She took a minute to just breathed through her nose and out through her mouth before she stumbled to the toilet in the stalls and threw up. Her head exploded in pain and she clenched her eyes shut as she leaned her head against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat. 

She stayed in the floor of the stall for a while just making sure that she wasn't going to fall flat on her face when she stood up but finally she made her way to her bag again. Her hands were shaking and she felt like crap as she pulled out her clothes to change out of the practice uniform. She had just managed to pull her shirt off after a few painful minutes when the door to the locker room swung open and Betty spun to it so quickly that her vision swam in front of her eyes and she had to grab the sink to keep from falling.

"Oh my God!" The voice was Veronica's and Betty felt her hands on her arms only seconds later. "what the hell happened?"

Betty's vision cleared enough to look at Veronica and see the concern and slight panic on her face.

"I'm okay." Betty said weakly.

"Are you kidding me? You're far from okay." Veronica snapped as she made Betty sit down once more as she knelt in front of her. "Who did this? Was it....B, did Jughead hurt you?"

"No!" Betty protested loudly. "He would never hurt me."

"I'm getting Archie." Veronica said as she whipped out her phone and Betty smacked it away before she could start to text him.

"No V. You can't tell Archie or Jughead." She spoke quickly, her voice high and panicked. Veronica raised her hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay Betty, I won't say anything to them." She said quietly as she touched Betty's face. "But you need to see a doctor. B, you can't even walk straight, you could be seriously hurt."

"If I go to the hospital, they'll file a report." Betty protested and Veronica looked at her.

"They should." She said firmly. "Look I don't know what happened but you need to tell someone so that it doesn't happen again okay. We don't have to call Archie or Jughead or anyone else, but please let me take you to the hospital and we can file a report. I'll be right there with you the whole time."

Betty stared at her for a long moment before she nodded. She knew that if she refused that Veronica _would_ call Archie no matter how much she protested and she wasn't ready to face wither of the boys yet.

"Okay." She said softly before she picked up her shirt. "Can you help me?"

"Of course." Veronica said gently.

They got Betty's shirt on quickly as she had worn a button up, specifically because she had been in too much pain that morning for much else, before Veronica helped her out of the shorts of their practice uniform and back into the pants she'd been wearing. Veronica shoved all of her things back into her dufflebag and insisted on carrying it along with her own. She had hers slung over her shoulder as she carried Betty's in her hand, holding it by the strap, as she used her other arm to support Betty who was swaying lightly as she walked. 

Smithers was waiting in the sleek black car in the parking lot that was mostly deserted now and Veronica ushered Betty inside as she told him to take them to the hospital. Smithers glanced at Veronica in concern but something about the look on her face prompted him not to ask questions. Neither of them spoke on the drive which Betty was thankful for because she wasn't sure she had enough brain power to carry on a conversation right now as she couldn't really focus on anything but the pain in her side and the pounding headache she was combating.

When they got to the hospital, Veronica took charge and signed her in before pulling her over to sit in a chair to wait as she filled out the paper on the clipboard that she'd been given. She would occasionally ask Betty for the answer to a question on the paper but she filled out most of it from her own knowledge of Betty and handed it back in. There was no one else in the waiting room so her name was called pretty quickly and she was brought back to an exam room where Veronica explained the majority of the situation as Betty focused on not throwing up again.

She managed to answer the questions that the doctor directed toward her about her pain and the medication that she'd taken for it, which Veronica took out of her purse when she prompted her and the doctor assured her that they could give her something stronger before leaving them alone in the room for a moment before a nurse came in and gave her some pills to take. The room grew eerily quiet after that as they waited for the doctor to come back and Betty laid back on the hospital bed as Veronica took the seat next to her.

Laying down was better for her than walking as her vision wasn't blurred when she was sitting still. The medicine they gave her began kicking in after a very short amount of time and the pain faded slightly. She could still feel it and it still hurt but she could think again without the distraction of the burning sensation in her side, it was like the medication had muffled the pain rather than got rid of it but she was thankful for it none the less. 

"You want to tell me what happened?" Veronica asked quietly making Betty look at her. "Before the cops get here?"

"Chuck." Betty said softly. "He didn't like the article I published or my relationship with Jughead. He was angry, called me a slut. I was trying to get him to leave me alone but I said something that made him angrier."

"Fucking bastard." Veronica said angrily. "I'm gonna tell Archie, he can kick his ass."

"No V!" Betty said. "It's why I didn't want to tell him or Jughead. You know that they'll do something and get arrested and then they'll have a violent crime on their record. that kind of thing could ruin their lives Veronica, it just isn't worth it."

"Okay, I get your concern but...." She trailed of as she looked at Betty with soft eyes. "You should tell them. You need to tell them."

"I will." Betty said quickly. "I'll tell them, just let me get checked out first. Let's just see how bad it is first okay?"

"Okay." Veronica agreed. "Also, we should probably call your mom."

"Yeah." Betty said with a nod.

The doctor entered then along with Sheriff Keller and she and Veronica exchanged a look. 

"I'll just text her." Veronica said quietly as Sheriff Keller stepped toward the bed.

"We're gonna need to do some X-rays and a CAT scan to determine the severity of your injuries Miss Cooper, but since you seem okay right now I agreed to let the Sheriff take your report before we do, is that alright?" Dr. Patel asked and Betty nodded. He nodded back and stepped toward the door before Sheriff Keller stopped him.

"When you do your exam, we'll need pictures of the injuries and a report of the extent of them to file along with this report." He said and Dr. Patel nodded. 

"Of course Sheriff." He said before leaving the room completely. Sheriff Keller turned back to her and his eyes softened as he looked at her. He'd known her for her entire life and she knew that seeing her like this was probably not easy for him.

"Okay Betty, you want to tell me what happened?" He asked as he pulled out his note pad and pen. Betty took a deep breath and began.

She explained the whole encounter to him, including the things he'd said to her, before telling him what had led up to it. He took note meticulously as he prompted her with questions about the location of the incident, the time, and other small details. She gave him as much as she could remember and told him about the threat that Chuck had given her before he'd left and finally it seemed that he'd gotten everything he needed because he slipped the pen and notepad back into his pocket.

"You don't have to worry okay Betty? I'm gonna leave a deputy here with you while we look into this." He said and she nodded.

"Thank you." She said softly. As he was leaving, her mother burst through the door and was at her side in an instant. 

"Are you okay? What happened?" She said quickly. "Veronica texted me that you were here but she didn't say why."

Betty opened her mouth to answer but Dr. Patel came back in and prompted her to change into a hospital gown so that they could take her for the tests that she needed to have. Betty heard Veronica relaying the information to her mother as the nurses helped her out of her clothes and into the hospital gown. Her mother squeezed her hand lightly as the wheeled her out of the room and down the hallways to the room that held the x-ray machine.

She had to climb up onto the table and lay flat while they adjusted the machine around her to get x-rays of her side from different angles. She was almost sure that they took more x-rays than she'd ever seen in her life as she laid on the cold table but eventually they were finished and she was moved on to the CAT scan, which she was told would take an hour to do and was very loud. She once again climbed up onto the machine, the movement making her very aware of the bruises on her side, and she was pushed into the machine.

It was fine at first but then the loud banging sound began and she thought that she was going to be deaf by the end of the test. She had to force herself to lay completely still and not move her head because she didn't want to have to do this again but the small space and loud noises made her feel slightly claustrophobic. Time seemed to slip away as she was in the machine, with no end or beginning, and she was just about to freak out when it all stopped and she was pulled out. She stared at the nurse who was smiling down at her and speaking in a cheerful voice for a full minute before she snapped out of it and sat up to climb down off the machine. 

The nurse helped her back into the wheelchair and she began her trip back down the halls once more. When she was wheeled back into her room, she found her mother and Veronica still sitting in the hard back chairs. Veronica was scrolling through her phone and her mother was flipping through a magazine but neither of them seemed particularly interested in what they were doing as they sat them aside the moment she came back into the room. The nurse gave her a gentle smile as she helped her onto the bed.

"I'm going to be right back to take pictures of the injuries Miss Cooper. Are you okay with that?" She asked and Betty nodded.

"Yes." She answered. The nurse nodded and left the room with the wheelchair. Betty turned to Veronica as her mother came to stand next to her bed. "Can you hand me the makeup wipes from my bag?"

Veronica was quick to comply with the request and Betty had her hold a mirror for her as she began to take off the concealer and foundation that she had put on that morning. The bruise running along her cheekbone looked much darker than it had that morning when she had covered it up but she wasn't sure if it actually was or she had just forgotten how bad it was in the first place.

"Jesus." He mother breathed out as she reached out to touch the bruise lightly making Betty flinch slightly as she put a little too much pressure on it and her mother moved her hand immediately. "Sorry sweetheart."

"It's okay mom." Betty said as she tucked the makeup wipes back into her bag and the nurse came back into the room with a camera in her hand. She was accompanied by a second nurse who Betty assumed was there to help.

"You can have them step out for this if you want." One of the nurses said as the other pulled the curtain firmly around the door to the room.

"It's alright. They can stay." Betty said.

The nurse nodded and moved toward her to help her out of the gown, leaving her in only her panties and bare from the waist up, while the other fiddled with the camera for a moment before she moved forward to take pictures of the bruises. They asked Betty before every step if she was okay and she just kept saying yes until finally she was allowed to pull the hospital gown back on. The nurse took the final pictures of her face before they both left the room and it was quiet again.

Betty laid back on the bed, not in the mood to talk, and her mother and Veronica went back to their phone and magazine respectively. Betty felt like she wanted to cry, being stripped and having pictures taken of her made her feel vulnerable in a way that she hadn't before, but she sucked in a breath and kept the tears from falling. She would not be a victim. 

Veronica and her mother kept throwing glances at her but she ignored them. She could handle this without devolving into tears. The deputy stationed outside her door stepped into the room when the doctor came back with the results of her tests an hour later and noted down what he said as he explained it to them.

"Okay, so you definitely have a pretty bad concussion which I expected when you told me about the vomiting and dizziness so you'll need to rest for a couple of days. No extraneous activity or jumping around." Dr. Patel said and Betty nodded. "Your X-rays revealed that you have a broken rib and another two that are fractured so no heavy lifting or anything like that while they heal. I recommend that you take a few weeks off of cheerleading to allow your body to heal. We're gonna keep you for a few more hours under observation just because we're a bit concerned about the concussion but after that we'll send you home with some pain medication for your ribs and you'll be fine in a couple of weeks."

"Thank you, Dr. Patel." Her mother said and he nodded.

"Of course Mrs. Cooper." He said politely before he exited the room. The deputy stayed in the room after that but tried to remain unobtrusive in the corner. Her mother turned to her and pushed her hair behind her ear as she sighed.

"I'm going to go call your father and let him know what's going on." She said. "He may have left us but I know he'll still want to be informed."

She left the room after that, already dialing the number and Betty turned to Veronica.

"Can you give me my phone?" She asked quietly. "I need to call him."

She knew that she didn't have to clarify as Veronica nodded and turned to pull her phone out of her bag. She handed it over to Betty and she took a deep breath before she scrolled through her contacts and pressed his name. She knew that he was probably wondering why she had avoided him all day and that he might be angry when he found out what had happened and that she hadn't told him right away but she didn't care about any of that at the moment. All she wanted was his arms around her, she could deal with everything else later.


	26. Chapter 26

Jughead found himself in the Wyrm after school where Toni was working behind the bar as he sat on a stool. She noticed him staring after a full minute and raised an eyebrow as she moved to stand in front of him and he took a deep breath before addressing her.

"Can I ask you something Toni?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Sure." She said.

"Did something happen last night?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean, when you guys had a sleepover did something happen?" He asked, studying her face. "I mean did Betty say something, or do something, last night? She was acting weird today so I thought that maybe someone said something last night to make her second guess us or something."

"Jug..." Toni trailed off as she bit her lip. "We didn't have a sleepover last night. She wanted to give you and Archie some time alone to maybe sort some things out so she asked me to cover for her if you asked. She was with Veronica last night, not me. I don't know if something happened or not."

"I just....I don't want to lose her Toni." He said quietly as he processed the words she'd said. "I don't know what I did or what happened to make her act the way she did."

"Maybe talk to her." Toni suggested. "Communication is key in a relationship."

"She avoided me the entire day. How exactly was I supposed to get her to talk to me?" He scoffed, angry at the whole situation. Toni sighed.

"I'm sure she has a reason." She said. "I've seen the way she looks at you Jug, she loves you. Whatever happened, whatever her reason is, I'm almost certain that it has nothing to do with you. Maybe she's just dealing with something and she'll come to you when she's ready. Give her a little space and allow her to reach out."

"I just wish she'd tell me what was wrong." Jughead said, but he knew Toni had a point. He'd just have to wait for her to come to him instead of trying to push the issue. 

Toni moved away from him after that as it was clear that he was lost in his own thoughts and there were actual paying customers for her to attend to. It had only been a day so Jughead forced himself to calm down and not jump to the worst case right now. He knew that Betty loved him so he had to trust that she'd come back to him when she was ready for him to know about whatever it was that had her so on edge. He'd be there for her when she needed him.

Jughead was distracted from is line of thought by his father sitting on the stool next to him and Jughead turned to glance at him with a raised eyebrow. Toni came over and set a glass of coke on the table in front of his father, who had stopped drinking a year ago and was attending his AA meetings regularly, before she slipped away again.

"Why do you look so glum kid?" His father asked and Jughead shrugged.

"Betty." He said quietly before he sighed. "We'll figure it out."

"Relationship troubles?" His father asked.

"Something like that." Jughead said as he picked at the bar top.

"Well, whatever it is I'm sure that the two of you can figure it out." His father said he clapped a hand on Jughead's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "You two are good together."

"That doesn't mean that we'll work out." Jughead said as he looked at his father, who shrugged lightly.

"I know we don't always see eye to eye but I can see the difference in you ever since you started seeing her." His father said earnestly. "I can see the hope in your eyes again. She makes you see the world beyond the south side and the serpents, to those dreams you had of going to college and getting out of this town. She makes you believe in all of that, makes you believe that it's possible without losing a part of yourself. She accepts you for exactly what you are and has made an effort to get to know you and the serpents and all of it. The two of you....it's like fate. That kind of thing doesn't come around all the time and it isn't so fragile that a small thing can break it."

"She won't talk to me." Jughead said as he stared at his father. "I don't know how to fix it."

"Patience." His father said. "Like I said, a small thing isn't going to break your relationship, so have patience with her. She'll come back to you."

"You know you're really being sappy right now." Jughead teased, trying to alleviate the serious tone of the conversation. "Are you sure Toni hasn't spiked your drink?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." His father held his hands up as he grinned. "You don't want my sappy advice."

They both laughed and his father patted him on the back gently. "Seriously though, thanks dad."

Jughead's phone began ringing and he pulled it out of his pocket to see Betty's name flash across the screen. His father caught a glimpse of it and nodded as he gave Jughead a smile as if to say 'I told you so'. Jughead ignored it as he pressed the button to answer the call.

"Hey Betty." He greeted but the smile left his face quickly.

 _"Jug, I need you."_ She said and he could hear the tears in her voice. It made him sit up straight as his hand clenched around the phone. 

"What's wrong? Where are you?" He asked and the tone of his voice and his body language caught the attention of both Toni and his father.

 _"I'm at the hospital. Please come."_ She answered and his heart started beating faster.

"The hospital?" His voice came out slightly breathless. "What the hell happened?"

 _"I'll explain when you get here, just please Juggie, please come."_ Her voice was soft and desperate.

"I'll be there soon." He said. He heard Toni and his father asking questions behind him but he didn't stop to answer them as he ran out of the bar and jumped on his motorcycle. 

The drive to the hospital passed in a blur of anxiety and worry until he slid into a parking spot and cut the engine. His legs took him into the hospital where he skidded to a stop at the desk, making the receptionist look at him in alarm for a moment as he caught his breath before he slammed his hands on the desk.

"Betty Cooper, where is she?" He asked before his brain caught up with his mouth. "Elizabeth, I mean, Elizabeth Cooper."

The receptionist looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you family?"

"Yes, dammit. Now where is she?" He spat.

"Jug, you need to calm down." His father said as he stepped up next to him having obviously followed him from the bar. Jughead glared at him for a moment before he took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm sorry, I just need to see her. I need to know that she's okay." He said, his voice softer than before and the receptionist nodded.

"I understand, having a loved one in the hospital can be stressful." She said as she turned to the computer to type something before she turned back to him with a smile. "She's in room twelve."

"I'll wait here." His father said and Jughead nodded as he took off down the hallway. 

His eyes flickered over the numbers posted beside the doors until he came to the number twelve and he pushed through the door quickly. His eyes roamed the room for a second, taking in details quickly. Veronica and Mrs. Cooper were sitting in the chairs next to the bed while Betty laid on it and a deputy moved from the corner of the room to take a step toward him like he was going to stop him from coming any further into the room but all of that fell to the side when Betty practically launched herself at him. He caught her in his arms as she clung to him and he could tell that she was crying silently.

"It's okay baby." He said, the term of endearment slipping out without him even thinking. "I'm here. It's okay."

He brushed his hand down the back of her hair, out of it's signature ponytail, as he hugged her gently. It took him a full minute to notice the strange silence in the room around them as he was caught up in Betty but he eventually glanced around and saw all three of the other occupants staring at them. Veronica was glancing between them all while Mrs. Cooper and the deputy seemed to be in shock. Jughead wasn't sure why there was a deputy there in the first place but he couldn't focus on much besides Betty, who still had her face buried in his shoulder, so he exchanged a look with Veronica.

Veronica ushered them out of the room, muttering something about giving them a moment alone, despite the protests of each of them. When the door closed behind them, Jughead placed his hands on Betty's shoulders and moved her back from him slightly so he could look at her and the first thing he noticed was the bruise on her face. He reached out to touch it lightly as their eyes met.

"What happened?" He asked, a quiet rage building under his skin. Betty sniffled before blowing out a breath.

"Chuck was angry." She said quietly. "He didn't like the article or our relationship. He said it was all lies and he called me a slut before he hurt me. Veronica saw the bruises and made me come to the hospital."

"Can I see them?" He asked, keeping his anger contained so that he didn't scare her. She nodded and reached around the untie the hospital gown that she was wearing before she let it slide down her arms, revealing her side to him in the process. It was a mass of dark bruises and Jughead's jaw clenched as he looked at it. "Is this why you pulled away from me at school?"

"I'm sorry." She said, her eyes clouding with tears again.

"Don't." He said gently as he helped her put the gown back on and tied it for her. "Don't cry."

"I should have said something." She said and he shook his head.

"It's okay. I'm not angry with you." He assured her as he gently touched her face again. The bruise making his anger float to the surface again as he spun away from her and toward the door, intent on finding Chuck and beating him until he felt marginally better. "I will kill him."

"No, Juggie!" She protested desperately, catching his arm as he turned to the door. "Please, don't leave me here alone."

He sighed quietly and pushed the anger down as he moved back to her and pulled her gently into his arms before he placed a kiss on the top of her head. She needed him now more than he needed to hurt someone.

" Okay, I'll stay. You don't have to worry." He spoke softly. 

"I don't want you to get in trouble." She said looking up at him with sad eyes. "It isn't worth it. Let the police deal with it."

"Okay." He said again. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You'll stay with me?" She asked and he nodded.

"Always." He assured her. "I'd never leave you if you didn't want me to."

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too." He said as he kissed her gently, careful not to hurt her further, before he pulled back. "You should rest."

He pushed her gently back toward the bed and climbed onto it next to her to hold her close but he didn't lose the rage in his mind but rather he filed it away for later. They stayed like that, wrapped together on the bed, even after her mother and the deputy came back with Veronica. Archie came running in a little while later, having obviously been informed of the situation by Veronica herself and Jughead could see his rage mirrored in Archie's eyes but they both stayed put in the hospital room because Betty asked them to.

* * *

A few hours later when the doctor came back to check Betty one last time before discharging her, she argued enough that her mother agreed to let Jughead come home with them and stay with her for the night. He stayed with her as she took the medicine that the doctor had prescribed to her and laid down next to her when she moved to her bed. He pulled the blanket up and tucked it around them as he held her in his arms until she drifted off to sleep. He updated his father and Toni on the situation via text as Alice had sent his father home from the hospital before. According to Veronica, who had overheard their conversation, there was some bad history between them.

Once Betty was deep asleep, he slipped out of the bed and pulled on his shoes before going down the stairs. He pulled the front door open quietly and shut it behind him before he began his journey. He of course knew where Chuck lived, it was a small town, so he started toward the house as the rage that had been building since he'd seen the bruises on Betty overtook him. The walk to Chuck's didn't take long as he only lived down the street from Betty and Jughead stopped at the end of the driveway for a long moment as he stared up at the house.

He hadn't really thought about how he'd get into the house before now, his anger propelling him forward, but he knew that he couldn't just knock on the door and ask politely to be let in so that he could kick the crap out of their son. He'd definitely get arrested and then Betty would yell at him for being so stupid. He sighed as he glared at the house as if that would make Chuck appear in front of him until he heard a repetitive thumping sound coming from behind the house which he followed curiously.

Luck seemed to be on his side as he found Chuck in the backyard bouncing a ball off the wall and Jughead took a moment to wonder why the hell his parents hadn't come out to yell at him yet before he pushed the thought away. He didn't actually care about it anyway. The gate creaked as he opened it and caught Chuck's attention, who in turn dropped the ball and turned to glare at Jughead as he stepped toward him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He snapped and Jughead took another step toward him.

"We have something to settle." Jughead said as his body practically vibrated with angry energy. "You hurt Betty so now I'm going to hurt you."

"She's nothing but a slut! I bet you just love that she spreads her legs for you. Tell me Jones, do you have to share her?" He said and Jughead moved before he even finished speaking. The punch landed solidly and knocked Chuck back slightly but Jughead didn't let up.

He moved toward him before he even had a chance to recover and hit him a second time before shoving him backwards onto the outdoor table that shook with the force of his body hitting it. Jughead held him in place with one hand as he flipped his switchblade open with the other and pressed it against his throat. Chuck stopped moving when he felt to cold steel against his skin and Jughead could see the legitimate fear in his eyes as he stared at him.

"I won't kill you right now because Betty wouldn't like it and I prefer to avoid prison but if you go near her again I'll forget those reasons and you'll end up somewhere that you don't want to be." Jughead said as he pressed the blade in enough to draw blood. "You are nothing but a useless piece of garbage and you don't scare me so all those threats you're thinking, I wouldn't voice them, and if you're thinking of going to the cops about this just remember that I have a whole gang behind me and you're just one person. It would be so easy to make you just....disappear."

Jughead let him go as a drop of blood slid down his neck from the cut that the switchblade had inflicted. He stepped back even as Chuck stayed in place and slipped the switchblade back into his pocket. The rage was still simmering under his skin but he knew that if he didn't walk away now that he would do something he couldn't come back from so he spun on his heal and left. Betty was waiting for him and he didn't want to leave her too long because he didn't want her to wake up and find him gone. She was more important than this anyway.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to hide what he'd done from her because he could already feel the bruises forming on his knuckles but at least now Chuck wouldn't bother her until the police concluded the case. He'd been genuinely afraid of Jughead, which was what he was going for, so he was sure that the other boy wouldn't do anything further. The walk back to Betty's house was spent trying to calm his breathing and his racing heart after the altercation which he managed just in time to slip in the front door quietly.

"Were you out doing something stupid?" A voice said from behind him sending his heart racing once more and he nearly jumped out of his skin as he spun around to find Mrs. Cooper standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room with the light surrounding her in a halo.

"Maybe." He said after he calmed down. It was obvious that she suspected where he'd been as she waved him over and he sighed as he walked toward her. She motioned to a chair at the kitchen table, which he sat in immediately, as she turned to pull a first aide kit out of a drawer. She pulled a chair over in front of him and pulled his hand into his lap as she dabbed alcohol on it gently.

"You know she's going to see this right? She's very observant." She said and he sighed again.

"I know." He said as he ran his free hand through his hair.

"You could have been arrested." She said, looking at him for a moment before going back to her task. 

"I know." He said again. "But I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. He hurt her."

"You love her." She said and it wasn't a question.

"Yes." He said and she nodded.

"She loves you too." She said quietly. "I can see it. I'm not going to say that I'm overjoyed that she's dating a member of the Southside Serpents but I'm glad that she has you. That she has someone that she can turn to, someone that she can count on to be there."

"Well, I can't say it was my plan to meet you like this." Jughead said. "I had hoped that we could warm you up to the fact that I was a member rather than shove it in your face but it is what it is. I care about her and I'm not going anywhere, she'll have me for as long as she wants me around."

"I don't have the best history with the south side or the Serpents." She said as she began cleaning up the first aide kit, seemingly satisfied with her results. "But I can see that some things are different now. I read my daughter's article you know? It mentioned things that we didn't have when I grew up there, which I assume you already know about, so I can understand that things are different now. It's hard to let her explore a place that I tried so hard to escape without feeling the need to protect her and pull her back but maybe that's not something that she needs." She sighed as she leaned against the counter and looked at him. "I never wanted her to be involved with the serpents or have a part in that life at all but I know that I can't make that choice for her."

"We're not bad, you know?" Jughead said softly. "I don't know what it was like when you lived there but the Serpents aren't bad people. We're all just trying our best to survive and that's easier to do as a group than it is alone. I understand your concern, the thought of your child and a gang in the same sentence isn't easy, but no one would ever do anything to hurt Betty and I hope that you know that. Most of the Serpents love her in fact. She's the first northsider to give them a chance and view them as people instead of just seeing the jacket and turning away. They care about her, she's one of us."

"I wanted to thank you, for keeping her safe and for standing by her." She said as she gave him a small smile. "I couldn't ask for anything more for her than a partner who loves and respects her."

"You don't need to thank me Mrs. Cooper." He said. "She's easy to love."

"Right, you should probably get back up there before she notices you're gone." The words were dismissive but he could see something in her eyes that resembled respect. She may not approve of his lifestyle or the jacket slung over his shoulders but she was willing to overlook that because of the genuine love he had for her daughter and he was glad for that. At least she wasn't kicking him out of the house because he'd done something reckless so he counted it as a win.

When he stepped back into the bedroom he found Betty stretched out on the bed with the light of the moon illuminating her from the window and he smiled. She looked so innocent like this, free of all the worries that she carried around during the day, making her seem younger. He slipped of his jacket and shoes quietly before he climbed back on the bed gently as he tried not to wake her. She made a soft sound and rolled toward him as he laid down and he wrapped his arms around her again. She didn't wake up even as she snuggled into his side and he pressed a soft kiss to her hair as he drew the covers up around them once more since she seemed to have kicked them off at some point while he was gone. 

She was warm and soft against him and he found himself slipping into sleep easily with her tucked into his arms. His last thought before he lost the battle and slipped into his dreams was that he must have done something right in his life to deserve this level of happiness with someone. Whatever it was that he'd done so right he'd forever be thankful for.


	27. Chapter 27

Betty woke up late the next morning with Jughead still in the bed next to her and when she turned to glance at the clock she realized that they'd already missed half the day at school. She sat up quickly, making Jughead begin to stir, as she ran a hand over her face and threw the covers off her legs. She was moving to climb off the bed when Jughead's arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her gently back down, carefully avoiding the bruises as he did, before he kissed her on the top of the head.

"Where are you going?" He asked quietly and Betty looked at him.

"We're late for school." She said. He didn't seem too concerned about her words as he glanced at the clock before his eyes slipped back to hers and she shrugged.

"Even if we went now there would be no point, we've already missed most of the day." He said. "Besides, your mom came in earlier and said that it was okay for you to stay home today."

"You talked to my mom?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah." He shrugged again. "It went better than I expected."

"Huh." She said as she relaxed back into the mattress. If she didn't have to get up for school today then she was going to lay in bed for longer. She was sore and it just seemed to get worse each day so she didn't want to move too much anyway. She knew it was all part of the healing process but she was already annoyed by it. She was leaning her head on Jughead's shoulder and casually running her hands along his arms until her eyes caught on his knuckles and she grabbed his hand and brought it up to her face quickly as she glanced at him. He had a guilty look on his face that made her raise an eyebrow. "You want to tell me what happened because I know for a fact that these weren't here when I went to sleep."

"I may have paid Chuck a little visit last night after you fell asleep." He admitted sheepishly and she sat up and turned to face him fully.

"I told you not to do that Jug." She said with a sigh. "I don't want you getting in trouble."

"I know but he hurt you Betty, I couldn't just do nothing." He said as he grasped her hands in his. "I made sure that he won't bother you anymore and I'm pretty sure that he's not going to say anything to the cops."

"Pretty sure?" She asked incredulously. "And what happens if he does say something huh? What if the cops show up at your door in a couple of days and arrest you? What then? I didn't want you to do anything because if you get a violent crime on your records then that's the end of it. A lot of jobs won't hire you once they see it, colleges will be less likely to admit you, it will follow you around for the rest of your life." She was almost shouting by the end of it. "I get that you were trying to defend me or whatever but I told you to let the police handle it for a reason Jughead."

She left the bed and marched toward the door to the ensuite stiffly and slammed it behind her as she made her way to the cabinet to take the medicine that the doctor had prescribed her for the pain. She leaned against the sink for a moment as she blew a long breath out of her mouth before she began brushing her teeth and washing her face. Once she finally left the bathroom she saw Jughead standing outside the door. 

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "I know that you asked me not to do it and I know that I probably shouldn't have so I'm apologizing. I let my anger get the best of me when I shouldn't have."

"Jug." She sighed as she moved to wrap her arms around him and rest her head against his chest. "I'm not really angry at you, I just know that the potential consequences are not something that I want to even think about. I don't want Chuck to take your future away just because he can't deal with an opposing opinion, he isn't worth it."

"You're right, he isn't but trust me he isn't going to say anything." Jughead said and she sighed again. 

"I hope you're right." She said softly.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs where they found her mother in the kitchen typing away at her laptop and she looked up at them as they came in.

"I didn't know what time you two would be up but I left some pancakes in the warmer for you." She said. "If you're hungry."

Betty nodded and began moving around the kitchen with practiced ease as she laid out the syrup and plates before retrieving the pancakes from the warmer and placing them on the table. She put some bananas and strawberries on her pancakes with a little syrup while Jughead decided on Nutella for his. They ate quietly with the sound of clacking keys filling the room along with the sounds of forks on plates. Betty was looking at her mother debating whether or not to ask what she was writing about, hoping that it wasn't another derogatory article about the south side, when her thoughts were cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing through the house. 

They all glanced at each other with confusion in their eyes until her mother rose from her chair and stepped away from the table and toward the door. Betty stood from her chair and trailed slightly behind her as she opened the door to reveal Sheriff Keller. Betty's first thought was that he was here for Jughead before her rational mind caught up and she realized that he probably didn't even know that Jughead was here and he certainly wouldn't have come here first to look for him. She glanced back at Jughead, now standing next to the table as he had left his chair as well, as her mother invited the sheriff in.

Her mother led him back to the table, where she and Jughead retook their seats, and she noticed the surprised look on Sheriff Keller's face when he saw Jughead before he schooled his expression once more. The fact that he hadn't already handcuffed him made her believe that he'd been right and the police knew nothing about how he got the bruises on his hand. She also noticed Jughead holding that hand out of view under the table.

"What can we do for you Sheriff?" Her mother asked. He glanced at her before his eyes came to Betty.

"I wanted to follow up with you about the report you made yesterday and inform you on the progress to the case." He said and she nodded for him to continue. "We've looked into the accusations that you leveled against Mr. Clayton and have found sufficient evidence to arrest him, which we did early this morning."

"Evidence?" Her mother butted in and Sheriff Keller once again glanced at her as he nodded.

"The information that you gave me about the location of the attack allowed us to zero in on the buildings and other things surrounding in which happened to include a convenience store with twenty-four hour surveillance." He said. "We've got the entire encounter on video back at the station so the case against him is fairly simple. Now there will be a trial for sentencing, which you don't have to be present for but you can attend if you wish, but after that this whole ordeal will be over with."

"Thank you." Betty said softly. 

"Of course, Betty." He said. "If there is anything else that you need, feel free to let me know."

Her mother drew him to the side and the spoke in hushed voices but by the tone and body language that her mother was conveying Betty knew that she was grilling him for any and all details about the case. Jughead gave Betty a small smile and squeezed her hand gently under the table making Betty smile to. Her mother came back to the table a few minutes later after closing the door behind Sheriff Keller as he left and began typing on her computer once more as if nothing had happened and Betty sighed as she looked at her.

"I hope that whatever you're writing isn't going to insult people on the south side." Betty said, gaining her mother's attention. "They actually like me and I'd hate for that to change because you said something rude."

"Oh please Elizabeth, I'm writing about the upcoming summer festival in the park. I'm pretty sure I haven't said anything insulting yet." She said and Betty raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're sure?" She asked. "Because you have a tendency to do it without really thinking about it." 

"I'm sure." She said and Betty shrugged. She'd just have to take her word for it.

When she and Jughead finally finished breakfast, she put the plates in the sink before she turned to her mother and Jughead as she leaned back against the counter.

"Well, since we aren't going to school today I thought it would be nice to drop by the Whyte Wyrm." Betty said, just to see if her mother would say something. Jughead and her mother both looked at her for a long moment before finally her mother broke the silence.

"Fine but be careful." She said and Betty could tell that she was biting her tongue as she tried desperately not to say anything else. Jughead and Betty shared a surprised look, both half expecting her mother to protest, before Betty nodded and left the kitchen to go back upstairs and get dressed.

She slipped out of her pajamas and into a plain skirt and sweater combo before slipping on her shoes and leaving the room again. She carried Jughead's shoes down to him as she went and he slipped them on by the door. She waved goodbye to her mother, who was looking at the with squinted eyes but still didn't say anything, as she followed Jughead to his bike. 

He slipped his helmet on her head before climbing on and waiting for her to get on behind him. He took off down the road as soon as she got situated but she could tell that he was going slower than normal and she knew that it was likely because he didn't want to injure her more than she already was. 

When they got to the Wyrm he led her in easily and she saw quite a few people that she recognized from the many places that they'd visited on the south side. It wasn't until she and Jughead were sitting at the bar that she noticed the strange hush that had fallen over the bar and the eyes that followed her through the room. She looked at Jughead with wide eyes. They all knew who she was and most of them liked her well enough so she was wondering what was going on until Jughead's eyes flickered to her cheek and she realized that she hadn't covered the bruise before they left her house and it was now fully visible in all of it's glory.

She knew that the majority of the people on the room were likely unaware of what had happened to her and were probably wondering where the hell she had gotten the bruise from. She saw the moment that it clicked in Jughead's mind as well and he turned to look at them. Betty noticed more than a few glancing between them and her mind made the leap that they must think that her bruises had something to do with Jughead. She stood from her stool and turned to face them all as she held her hands up in a calming gesture.

"I'm fine." She said clearly. "It's just a few bruises is all. Some people on the north side of town didn't appreciate the article that I wrote defending you guys but I'm okay. I'll heal. It really isn't a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" The voice came from the crowd and Betty recognized it immediately even with having only heard it a couple of times. FP Jones stepped out of the crowd, where they had all somehow managed to miss him, as his eyes roamed her face. "You look like hell, kid. And from the way I hear it you have a couple broken ribs to go with those bruises."

"I'm fine." Betty reiterated, stressing the words. She did not want this to turn ugly, especially considering the fact that Chuck was locked in the police station right now. Somehow she didn't think that fact would matter to some of the people in the room and she didn't want any more fall out from this. "Everything has been taken care of."

She and FP stared at each other for a long moment before his eyes flickered to Jughead behind her and down to his hand before coming back to her.

"I suppose you're right." He said finally before he came toward them. His words seemed to calm everyone else in the room as they floated away back to the tasks they'd been doing before she and Jughead arrived. There was still an occasional glance thrown her way but she wasn't too worried about it so she ignored them. FP sat on the bar stool next to them and looked at her seriously.

"Really kid, are you okay?" He asked and she nodded.

"It's a bit sore but the doctor gave me some medication for that so I'm okay." She said. "Chuck was arrested and I'll heal. I couldn't ask for a better outcome."

"If you say so." He said before glancing at Jughead.

"And I'm assuming that those bruises didn't come from boxing." He said but Jughead just shrugged as he looked at his father.

"You know what, I'm more interested in this history between you and Mrs. Cooper." He said, obviously deflecting the question. "You want to tell us about that?"

"Not much to tell." He grimaced. "We dated when we were your age. It didn't end well."

"You _dated_ my _mother_?" Betty asked, honestly surprised and she could see that Jughead was too as they both stared at FP. He shrugged, looking almost the same as Jughead had moments before, as he chewed his lip.

"Yeah." He said. "Until she chose your father at least. We had a huge fight about it and it got ugly. We both said some things that we probably shouldn't have and neither of us have ever really forgotten it. I won't go into details but we never had the easiest relationship even before it ended so we don't really deal with each other well. It's a rather long story filled with things that I'm sure neither of you want to know about so we'll leave it at that."

"Is that why she has it out for the Serpents?" Jughead asked. "Because you're the leader and she isn't your biggest fan?"

"No or at least that's not the entire reason." He said. "This place was a lot rougher back then and I don't blame her for wanting to get out, I just don't really like the way that she did it. She has plenty of legitimate reasons to hate the south side that have nothing to do with me."

"If you say so." Jughead said, mirroring his father's words from earlier in the conversation.

"That's just so _weird._ " Betty said, still caught up on the whole _dating_ thing. "I can't believe that you and my mother used to _date_. It's just beyond imagining."

"It really isn't that weird. We were different people back then." FP said with a shrug before he grinned at them. "You know what is weird though, the two of you. You both look so much like Alice and I did when we were your age that it's like looking at a mirror into the past."

Betty and Jughead shared a look and she could see her disbelief about the weirdness of this situation mirrored in his eyes.

"Okay then." Jughead exclaimed. "Can we all just make a pact to never mention any of this again? I could go the rest of my life without thinking of our parents boning each other when they were teenagers."

Betty pressed her lips together as she looked at FP and tried to prevent the laughter from bubbling up her throat but the mirth in his eyes made it impossible not to let it out. They both started laughing as Jughead sat between them with a grumpy look on his face before he gave up the act and joined them in the laughter. The joy between them made Betty feel lighter than she had in days and she realized that she'd found the place in Riverdale where she fit the most. Here among these people with Jughead by her side, she felt more at home than she had anywhere else before. It felt like this was the place that she was meant to be, where everyone was accepted despite their flaws and where they were celebrated rather than tore down for them. She never imagined that when she approached Jughead in Pop's that she'd find a home among the people of the south side but she was glad that it had worked out that way.


	28. Chapter 28

The next few days passed easily for Betty. Her mother allowed her to stay home for another two days before she went back to school and by that time everyone knew what had happened. Jughead stayed by her side the entire time as she returned to school for the first time even though she could tell that all the eyes following them made him uncomfortable. Surprisingly none of the other students asked anything about it but Betty had a feeling that that had to do with the fact that she was always surrounded by people who would give anyone who even looked like they were going to say something a glare that would make them think twice about approaching.

The serpents that attended school with them had become especially protective of her after they learned that the reason Chuck had attacked her had been mainly because of the article she wrote defending them. The thing that had surprised her the most though had been Sweet Pea. He had come to her by himself when she'd been working on something in the Blue and Gold offices and had apologized for the way he had treated her. She knew that he felt guilty about the reason for the attack being the article especially after he had said that she was only with Jughead so she could find something to use against them. She told him that she knew he hadn't meant any harm and that she understood why he reacted the way that he did.

It was only two weeks after the day in the hospital that Chuck had his hearing for sentencing. Betty had debated not even going because she wasn't needed for the trial at all but she wanted to know what the judge said so she had decided to attend in the end. Her mother and Jughead attended with her along with FP and even though they kept throwing glares at each other the had called a truce for the day. The hard bench seats in the courtroom were uncomfortable but Betty was determined to stay until the end. Chuck was sitting up front with his lawyer and the judge had already gone over the list of charges and the evidence against Chuck and was now deliberating his sentencing.

"I have reviewed the evidence in this case and have reached a verdict." The judge spoke, his voice ringing out in the room. "Mr. Clayton is being charged with second-degree aggravated assault which is a felony. Due to the evidence submitted I find him guilty of the crime and sentence him to six years in a state penitentiary with four years of parole to follow." He turned his head to look at Chuck. "You will be taken directly from the courtroom to the New York State Prison where you will serve out your sentence."

He banged his gavel on the stand and called out for the next case to be brought in. The bailiff moved to cuff Chuck's hands behind his back and lead him out of the room and Betty stood from the bench and slipped out along with Jughead and their parents. Jughead wrapped an arm around her as the exited the building and their parents spoke to them quietly for a moment before leaving them alone. FP climbed in his truck and Betty knew that he was likely going back to the Wyrm to inform everyone of the decision and her mother left in her car to make her way back home. Jughead moved to lean against his bike as he drew her into his arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yeah." She answered. "I never expected things to get this serious when I printed that article. I just wanted people to respect the serpents and the south side like I do. I mean I knew that they wouldn't like the article but I never expected anyone to get violent because of it."

"I know." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "But some people can't let go of their own ideals. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with him."

"I know that." She said quietly as she looked up at him. "But I still want that, you know. I want people in the north side to realize that the south side isn't some horrible place filled with criminals and degenerates."

"You're not going to write another article are you?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Maybe." She said, giving him a serious look. "I had an idea and I've run it past my mother who is going to allow me to do it if you think it's a good idea."

""Okay, lay it on me." He said and she nodded.

"My mother still doesn't like the serpents or the south side in general but she's beginning to understand that it's important to me so she's given me my own article section in the Register and I wanted to do something meaningful with it." Betty explained. "My first article didn't go over well but I think maybe that was because it came from only my point of view and people may have thought that it was a little biased so I came up with an idea to show the south side through someone else's eyes, someone who lives there, like you showed me."

"You want me to do an article?" He asked and she could hear the confusion in his voice as he tried to work out what she was actually saying.

"Not exactly." She said. "I was thinking of doing a series of articles spotlighting people on the south side, like doing an interview with them and getting their take on things, to show the people in the north side that they aren't so different. I think it might help them to see accounts from actual people about living on the south side so that it's more real to them. If you think that's a good idea."

"I do actually." He said as he smiled at her. "I know plenty of people in the serpents who would sit down with you for an honest talk about life on the south side. I think it'll be good."

"Great!" She exclaimed as she grinned at him. "Because you're my first interview."

"I saw that coming." He said and she laughed softly as she pulled him in for a deep kiss. 

* * *

Things didn't change overnight, nothing was ever that easy, but things did slowly begin to get better. After Betty began printing the articles spotlighting residents of the south side and hearing about their struggles and triumphs, a small group of north side parents formed a group to show support for the south side students in the school at the PTA meetings and policies began to be put into place around the school to help them out if they were having financial troubles at home by providing them with clothing and food to take home discretely. 

Things in town began changing as well as the serpents were seen mixing with the northsiders slowly and friendships began forming when people let their guard down and began seeing eye to eye on things. The tension didn't disappear completely, there were still people who refused to embrace the new ideals on both sides of town, but for the most part things improved immensely. Betty went twenty consecutive weeks releasing articles spotlighting a different person from the south side before the articles stopped because she was getting ready to leave for college and was busy making plans and packing to do the interviews. 

Betty had been worried that the articles would fall to the wayside and people would go back to their ways when she went to college but as she was getting ready to depart, along with Jughead both of them having gotten in to NYU, her mother assured her that she'd keep the articles going. She ventured into the south side for the first time in over twenty years to take over for Betty and do her first interview and she had surprisingly chosen FP for the task. Betty hadn't gotten around to him yet and she was surprised that her mother chose him as her first interview when she took over because of their history but the article came out with no issue as objective as Betty had made the others with no opinion of hers leaking over. Betty had been honestly impressed but her mother had made great strides to be better after the incident with Chuck.

Betty left Riverdale with the hope that the seeds of peace between the sides that she'd planted grew into something beautiful. She knew it was still a long road to complete peace, and maybe it would never be achieved. but it was at least better and she was proud that she had a hand in it. She never thought when she approached Jughead that their relationship would lead to a whole reform in Riverdale but she was glad for it. She had a home in both the north and the south side's of Riverdale and she wanted the two sides to work out their issues because they each had things to offer the other to make a more cohesive and beautiful town. It wasn't what she was expecting at the beginning but it was better than what she could have imagined. Things never work out like you expect but she thought that maybe that was a good thing after all.


End file.
